Michael Zhan
Procurement Specialist, China
Michael Zhan joined Teamotea in 2019 and has since anchored the organization’s on-the-ground sourcing operations across China’s most celebrated tea regions. Based in Kunming, he reports directly to the procurement director and has primary responsibility for lot evaluation, vendor qualification, and field logistics in Yunnan and Fujian. His work begins not at the tasting table but on the farm — walking terraced gardens in Menghai, observing withering and rolling at family-owned facilities in Fuding, and negotiating multi-year supply agreements with estates that have produced tea for generations. In 2021, Zhan completed an intensive year-long apprenticeship under the late Senior Tea Expert Huang Weimin, whose methodical approach to lot evaluation — combining sensory analysis, leaf-picking standards, and producer history — shapes the current Teamotea procurement manual. Building on that foundation, Zhan spearheaded the 2023 expansion of the direct-sourcing program in Yunnan’s Lancang River basin, securing contracts with seven smallholder cooperatives and achieving a 22 percent improvement in year-over-year quality consistency across *shēng pǔ’ěr* (生普洱) and *Wò Duī* (渥堆) ripe pu-erh lots. Zhan’s work bridges the field and the customer. Each lot he green-lights eventually moves through the tea academy’s educational cupping sessions and is often featured in the live tasting notes on thetea.app. The *shēng pǔ’ěr* selections he oversees also supply the curated shop.puerh.app, where vintage and single-origin cakes carry provenance details verified directly through his vendor network. In 2024, he partnered with tea.travel to host a 12-day sourcing expedition through Xishuangbanna, giving participants firsthand access to the growers and processing decisions that define Teamotea’s portfolio. Zhan holds a degree in agricultural economics from Yunnan Agricultural University and is a licensed tea taster under GB/T 23776-2018. He is fluent in Mandarin and several Yunnanese dialects, a skill that proves essential during pre-harvest visits when lot selection often hinges on nuanced conversations about rainfall, picking dates, and withering room humidity. His current focus includes developing quality metrics for aged white teas from Fujian and expanding the company’s organic-certified *shēng pǔ’ěr* pipeline.
Specialties
- sourcing
- field procurement
- vendor visits
- lot selection
Michael Zhan joined Teamotea in 2019 and has since anchored the organization’s on-the-ground sourcing operations across China’s most celebrated tea regions. Based in Kunming, he reports directly to the procurement director and has primary responsibility for lot evaluation, vendor qualification, and field logistics in Yunnan and Fujian. His work begins not at the tasting table but on the farm — walking terraced gardens in Menghai, observing withering and rolling at family-owned facilities in Fuding, and negotiating multi-year supply agreements with estates that have produced tea for generations.
In 2021, Zhan completed an intensive year-long apprenticeship under the late Senior Tea Expert Huang Weimin, whose methodical approach to lot evaluation — combining sensory analysis, leaf-picking standards, and producer history — shapes the current Teamotea procurement manual. Building on that foundation, Zhan spearheaded the 2023 expansion of the direct-sourcing program in Yunnan’s Lancang River basin, securing contracts with seven smallholder cooperatives and achieving a 22 percent improvement in year-over-year quality consistency across shēng pǔ’ěr (生普洱) and Wò Duī (渥堆) ripe pu-erh lots.
Zhan’s work bridges the field and the customer. Each lot he green-lights eventually moves through the tea academy’s educational cupping sessions and is often featured in the live tasting notes on thetea.app. The shēng pǔ’ěr selections he oversees also supply the curated shop.puerh.app, where vintage and single-origin cakes carry provenance details verified directly through his vendor network. In 2024, he partnered with tea.travel to host a 12-day sourcing expedition through Xishuangbanna, giving participants firsthand access to the growers and processing decisions that define Teamotea’s portfolio.
Zhan holds a degree in agricultural economics from Yunnan Agricultural University and is a licensed tea taster under GB/T 23776-2018. He is fluent in Mandarin and several Yunnanese dialects, a skill that proves essential during pre-harvest visits when lot selection often hinges on nuanced conversations about rainfall, picking dates, and withering room humidity. His current focus includes developing quality metrics for aged white teas from Fujian and expanding the company’s organic-certified shēng pǔ’ěr pipeline.