We Stood Over 1 Hour to Taste the Wildly Popular Hey Tea

We’ve written several times about Hey Tea (you can see ‘related articles’ at the bottom for more info on them). Basically they’ve gotten tons of attention online for their insufferably long lines, with reported wait times of up to 6 hours, and even a thriving underground economy of tea scalpers. We decided to check it out, to see if it is worth the hype.

Tuesday, April 18th

 3:20pm: I arrive at Dapuqiao and head towards exit 2, turn right, and there it is. The human line has told me I have reached the destination.

It doesn't look too bad but then I realize it is split into three parts: immediately out front of the store, then two long sections along the side walk.

3:24pm: I am officially in line, let the suffering begin. I estimate about 80-100 people in front of me.

3:25: I notice a ‘Hey Juice’ right across the street. Interesting.

3:27: A Hey Tea "line boss" girl is walking around making sure everyone has a menu and a sticker with a number on it. Dozens of people ask her how many teas one person can purchase and she says “two.” I suspect she answers this question all day long.  

3:30: I start to notice there are quite a few sketchy characters hanging around, looking very similar to the guys that try to sell iPhones at the airport or fapiaos at the train stations.

After watching them for a while I understand what’s going on, they have 'plants' waiting in line, and they’re walking around giving them orders they receive from people who don’t want to wait in line. The first ‘plant’ I notice is an older Ayi squatting in line in front of me, two guys walk up and discreetly tell her which two teas to select.

3:33:  50 new people has joined the line, and I haven’t moved forward more than a couple of meters.

3:35: The man behind me in line runs away, I have no idea why. My new line mate is an old lady I suspect is a 'plant' of a tea scalper, but she insists she’s not.

3:43: Finally some drama! Just when I was starting to get bored, the 'plant' Ayi along with another man in front of me get  kicked out of line by an employee lady who proceeds to tear their tickets into shreds.

The "line boss" tells me doesn’t know the ayi, but the guy is a regular scalper. She tells me they typically buy teas and then resell them for around RMB 100, sometimes even higher (teas are around RMB 20-25).

[The thwarted Ayi along with the line boss]

[The thwarted scalper]

With the "line boss's" help I select my teas on the menu (yes I’ve decided I’ll buy two because it’d be a sin not to). She recommends a fruit tea, as well as their signature cheese tea, which I’m a little wary about.

We shoot the shit for a while and she informs me of two interesting facts: #1 Hey Tea hires a dozen or so police and security guards each day just to keep the line in order. #2 they open at 10am but everyday people begin queuing around 7am.

4:05: I am in the third and final section of the line, right outside of the actual store. I notice an old lady who brought her own chair but doesn’t use it.

4:28: I am finally INSIDE the store, just standing over 1 hour in line. There’s A/C, smooth jazz, a shitload of selfies going down and frantic employees making tea.

4:35: I pay for my tea (RMB48 for two cups), receive my ticket and begin the final wait.

4:40: I try several times to take photos of them making tea, the process, the ingredients, behind the counter etc., but the staff yell at me each time and say it’s not allowed. Frightened that I might be kicked out this close to receiving my tea, I abide.

4:47: This part sucks, I’m waiting for my tea as if I’m at the bank. The number on the display is 564 and I’m 578, I’m getting bumped into a lot and I’m legitimately really thirsty and I need to use the bathroom.

5:01: Fuck yea! I receive my bag with two teas, I calmly exit the shop to enjoy them both outside in front of 100 jealous people still waiting in line.  

The verdict: 

I was surprised how good the tea was, perhaps waiting so long made them taste better, but I think that was only a small factor. The fruit tea was just the right amount of sweetness and had no hint of artificial flavoring or cheap sugary shit. I pounded that and then moved on to my hot cheese tea. First sip was weird, I didn’t expect it to be so salty. The tea itself was smooth and delightful, and as a continued pounding it I began enjoying the cheese quite a bit, in fact, but the time I had drank it all I was licking the inside of the cup (I know that’s weird and maybe I shouldn’t have told you about it sorry).

On waiting for 1 hour and 37 god-damned minutes for two cups of tea:

I think I might understand why people wait so long. Sure there’s a lot of hype about the long lines, which makes people interested and snowballs the buzz. But that doesn’t explain everything, nor does the tea, it’s good but it’s not THAT good. The real reason people wait, in my opinion, is because there are so few things left that can’t be gotten immediately. It’s the only gratification left in the city that can’t be gotten easily and so it’s the most valued and desired among them… maybe.

On waiting again:

No.  

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