Tea has long been a morning tradition for almost everyone. Some don't drink coffee at all, while others enjoy both. But either way, drinking tea has become something special for us. It allows us to take a break from work and relax a bit, either enjoying a drink or chatting with someone.
We often buy regular tea at the local store, but some connoisseurs seek out exclusive varieties. And some of them we never even knew existed. So, here are the ten most expensive teas!
1. Tianshi Flower Tea. Price: $170 per 1 kg.
It is extracted from a variety of ginseng that grows in southwest China. This tea is considered the healthiest in the world. It has medicinal properties, promoting healthy sleep, relieving dizziness, and healing skin rashes. This drink has a distinctive minty aroma with a hint of ginseng. The high price of this tea is explained not only by its medicinal properties but also by the fact that its production is a monopoly of Yunnan Province.
2. Silver tea. Price: $400 per 1 kg.
Silver Tips Imperial is grown on the oldest estate in India's Darjeeling region. These are believed to be the very first tea plantations, and besides this tea, a wide variety of other teas are produced there. However, this tea is the most expensive, as it is harvested during the full moon and bound with silver ribbons. It was patented by Makaibari Tea Estate.
3. Precious Dew Tea. Price: $650 per 1 kg.
The original name is Gyokuro. This tea is unique in that it is harvested after being protected from the sun for two weeks to enhance the amino acid levels in the leaves. This gives the tea its distinctive, luxurious flavor.
4. Poo Poo Pu-Erh Tea. Price: $1,000 per kg.
This tea, like cognac, doesn't age over time, but rather becomes stronger. It tastes no different from regular tea, but its origin is quite unusual. It looks like tea leaves, but it's actually the product of specialized bugs that feed exclusively on tea leaves their entire lives. It's produced in the Yunnan region. This invention of Chinese doctors has become a true delicacy among gourmets.
5. Golden tea. Price: $3,000 per 1 kg.
This tea can only be purchased in Singapore. Only one day a year is dedicated to its harvesting. The tea tops, cut with golden scissors, are dried in the sun and sealed in containers, after which they turn yellow and begin to emit a floral aroma. A special feature of the final stage of preparation is the 24-karat gold used to treat the tea. The result is an expensive, golden tea.
6. Tie Guanyin Tea. Price: $3,000. per 1 kg
A blend of black and green teas with a distinctive chestnut flavor. This tea is named after the goddess of mercy. The firm, crisp leaves can be steeped up to seven times without losing their flavor, thanks to a special 10-step brewing process.
7. Tea «Narcissus from the Wuyi Mountains.» Price 6.5 thousand dollars per 1 kg
The tea leaves grow on Mount Wuyi. After harvesting, they are roasted, which further ferments them. According to legend, a farmer found the tea bush near the Cave of the Immortals. When the leaves were brewed, the drink turned out to have a very pleasant taste. It was named Water Immortal, but the character is sometimes translated as Mount Wuyi Narcissus. This tea is still considered one of the most exquisite varieties.
8. Panda Dung Tea. Price: $70,000. per 1 kg
A literal translation, of course, doesn't describe the ingredients of this tea. But pandas do play a role in its production. As is well known, pandas feed exclusively on bamboo, but they don't digest it completely. This is what's used to fertilize the tea bushes. The resulting tea costs seventy thousand dollars per kilogram.
9. Diamond Tea Bag. Price: $15,000 per bag.
If you packaged vampire tea in beautiful diamond-adorned tea bags, you could very well celebrate its 75th anniversary! A series of such bags was released in 2005. Each package featured 280 diamonds, and inside was tea collected during the full moon and stirred with silver strips. PG Tips donated the proceeds to charity.
10. Da Hong Pao tea. Price 1.2 million dollars per 1 kg
Literally translated, it means "Great Red Robe." This is the only tea in the line that is expensive and impossible to buy. It's simply not available for sale. It's given only as a gift to distinguished guests. Legend has it that the healing properties of this drink cured the emperor's mother, which is likely why it is one of the Ming Dynasty's family secrets.