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I n J a n u a r y 2 0 2 2 , a t t h e s e v e n t h Pu’er and other teas that need oxidation). The

vacuum little can is vacuated and then infused
Globa l Diplom ats’ Ch i nese Cu lt u re
Night held in Beijing, Xiao Guan Cha
appeared as the officially designated with nitrogen to ensure long-term storage for tea
leaves at room temperature. It’s also hygienic and
tea for pa r ticipa nts from over 160 cou ntr ies, convenient, as there is no need to touch the leaves
i nc l ud i n g a m b a s s ador s a nd g ue s t s f rom a l l directly when brewing.
w a l k s o f l i f e . I n X i a o G u a n C h a ’s p u b l i c When asked about the significance of such a
profi le, Tea-Ti me Ta l k seem s to h ave been t he design, they replied, “The container should be an
mo s t com mon s ce n a r io. Si nce it s i nce pt ion innovation in forms of packaging and product. It
on ly a dec ade a go, t he moder n tea compa ny can not only offer the customers a different,
h a s added a n i n - de pt h log ic to t he or i g i n a l stylish and simple experience, but also help to
empi r ica l t h i n k i ng of Ch i nese tea, decrea si ng realize the vision of product standards and create
c o n s u m p t i o n c o s t w h i l e s t r e n g t h e n i n g a d i f f e re n t i a te d b r a n d p e rc e p t i o n .” H i d e o
e x p e r i e n c e t h r o u g h d e d i c a t e d e f f o r t s i n Sakakibara looks back on this collaboration and
purchase decision cost and spiritual value. We agrees, “Without almost insane dedication and
a re honored to i nv ite t he X iao Gu a n Ch a tea m perseverance, there would be no demanding
to sh a re t hei r fa sci n ati ng stor y ... pursuit of the work, let alone a distinctive
experience for the customers.”
The birth of the aluminium can
Standard to lower the bar
X i ao G u a n C h a , l i te r a l ly me a n i n g l i t t le
canned tea, has quickly become a hit since its As the team believes, both tea and coffee
l au nch , no t le a s t b ec au s e o f i t s i n novat ive contain strong cultural attributes, representing
packaging. Even before the official establishment the subtle introspection of the East and the
of Beijing Xiao Guan Cha Co., Ltd. in 2014, the passionate exuberance of the West. Therefore,
team had invited Hideo Sakakibara, a Japanese when presented on diplomatic stages, the cans of
design master, to create the container for their tea don’t just make the unique songs of aluminium
p r o d u c t s . B a c k t h e n , t h e y p u t f o r w a r d 3 containers, but also the echoing aftersound of
requirements: use the same packaging for 8 tea e n c o u n te r b e t we e n d i f f e re n t c u l t u re s a n d
products to ensure a consistent experience; customs. “During historical development, both
change the cumbersome experience of traditional tea and coffee have experienced transformation
tea; and be beautiful, elegant and environmentally from agricultural products to consumer goods.
fri en dly. Two figures p rove d th e engrave d In the Ming and Qing dynasties, tea even boasted
craftsmanship – 13 revisions in 3 straight years. a better development, marking the first globalized
The package ends up with a tiny aluminium can business practice of Chinese tea.” noted Xiao
with aluminum films which “isolates” fresh tea Guan Cha, “However, the coffee industry began t he yo u n g p eople who wa nt to k now ab o u t into 3 categories: consumer products represented
leaves (not for Da Hong Pao, Baihao Yinzhen, standardized and scaled production in 1938, going Chinese tea. Therefore, Xiao Guan Cha supports by o r i g i n a l le a f te a , F MC G re p re s e n te d by
through 3 development waves from standardized the new-style tea drinks. As the founder Du bottled tea drinks and service forms represented
instant products to boutique quality products and Guoying told us, “There are 3 cups of tea in life, by te a d r i n k s to re s . T h e 3 fo r m s m e e t t h e
to the current aesthetic products. In this way, namely milk tea for teenagers, bagged tea for consumption needs of different consumer groups
co f fee h a s go ne f a r b eyo nd C h i ne s e te a i n office workers, and the original leaf tea for those i n d i f fe re nt s ce n a r i o s . O n t he b a s i s o f t he
marketization and commercialization. In contrast, who can savor it when time and space allow. At original leaf tea. Xiao Guan Cha explores and
the Chinese tea industry still struggles with a low present, a considerable portion of consumers lays out different forms.
level of standardization, in addition to the semi- don’t know much about Chinese tea beyond
manual and semi-mechanical industrialization traditional kung fu tea. However, new-style tea Modern interpretation of traditional tea
state, early stages of brand building and other drinks are actually also Chinese tea. They can,
issues.” to a ce r t a i n ex te nt , lowe r t he con s u m p t ion Perhaps many people are still stuck with the
In their opinion, the embarrassing state of threshold of Chinese tea and allow tea to connect impression that Xiao Guan Cha are linked to high
Chinese tea is caused by the lack of standards, with more Chinese people, especially young net worth individuals. This is not the case. The
a problem which has built up an invisible high people. The young people will accept new-style br a n d t a r g e t s c on s u m e r s f r om m u l t i p l e
threshold, confining experienced tea gourmets tea drinks first, and then become fans of original d i m e n s i o n s , s u c h a s a ge , f re q u e n c y o f te a
to the wall of self-indulgence while keeping out leaf tea.” They classify the forms of Chinese tea consumption and social status, covering the core

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