5 Most Expensive & Delicious Tea in the World

 Da Hong Pao Tea

Da Hong Pao Tea remains one of the most exclusive and expensive tea in the world. It is sourced and grown in the Wuyi Mountains, it is heavily oxidized and its color is dark. The highest quality versions are only served for Royalty. It is only presented during formal occasions and often drank by Prime Ministers and Queens. Dao Hong Pao tea is usually sold at $US35, 606 per ounce or 20g back in 1998. Today the price of the tea remains exorbitant.

The tea doesn’t look fancy at all, but it is the kind of tea that emperors are allowed to drink. The tea is so expensive due to the place where it is farmed. The land is filled with limestone gorges and karst pinnacles and is found usually beside the streams and tumbling waterfalls. There are some varieties of Da Hong Pao that are sold for a much more affordable price, but the aged or antique versions are the ones that are hard to find.

A genuine Da Hong Pao is taken by cutting a single group from the mother tree. These are the truly rare ones and hard to cultivate. The original tree is hard to grow and cultivate, there are very few original trees that can be found as explained by local tea makers. The antique tea is so exclusive, so rare that only the ultra wealthy tea collectors are able to get hold of them.

Today the tea is sold for $1.2million per kilogram. It is so important that China considers the Da Hong Pao tea as a part of their natural treasure. It dates back to the Ming Dynasty, it is said to contain miraculous healing wonders. The harvesting process is kept secret, and the tea is only given as a gift for dignitaries.

The Da Hong Pao tea is already 200 years old, and it remains highly protected by monks and the people who know its harvesting secrets.
It is said that this tea was a gift that was given by a supernatural being who once came down to earth.

The tea is said to have potent cure for stomach distemper and fever. It is also said that the tea contains cure for longevity and can make a person feel younger and more energetic.
Today the tea is cloned, causing it to become more expensive. There is also a legend that says, it is better for monkeys to pick the leaves and not humans so it will not lose its potent healing powers.

Panda Dung Tea

Panda tea also known as Panda Dung tea is sourced from the mountains of Ya’an, Sichuan.

This tea is particularly special because it is fertilized by the dung of pandas. It was officially sold in 2012, it is one of the most expensive tea in the world. It is being sold for $3,500 for 50 grams (16 cups). Many tea manufacturers believe that the Panda Dung tea is healthy because Pandas eat only healthy food like wild bamboo. The dung is a safe and organic fertilizer for the tea. The panda tea became too expensive in the market, because there is only a few pandas alive in the world.

Panda poo is filled with vitamins and minerals because of the bamboo that they are eating. This is why the Panda tea is rich and filled with essential nutrients that humans need upon consumption. Since Pandas have a poor digestion system, they do not absorb all the nutrients with their food, and it ends up going to their dung. These nutrients are then absorbed by the roots of the tea plant.

Tieguanyin Tea

Tieguanyin Tea is a Chinese oolong tea that was first discovered in the 19th Century in Anxi in Fujian province. It is said to have been bestowed by a supernatural being in a rundown temple that held an iron statue.

A poor farmer named Wei would often pass by the temple and told himself that something has to be done with the ruins. But being poor he did not have the means to restore the temple. One day, he took a broom and started cleaning the temple himself. He did this several times a month.

One night it was said that a supernatural being came to him in a dream, telling him that there was treasure behind the temple. This is when the farmer found the tea shoot. He planted it in his field, it became a large bush and it turned out to be one of the finest tea in the world. He shared the precious cuttings of the rare tea plan to his neighbors and began selling it under the name Tieguanyin Tea. This tea is what made the province progress, and it became a large tea provider in the world.

The Tieguanyin tea is expensive because it is hard to cultivate, the tea leaf also takes time to get processed. You need to follow an ideal time, otherwise the true effect and essence of the tea will not come out. The secret technique of processing this tea remains unknown, which is why it remains expensive.

Today the variety is sold at 3,000 US dollars per kilogram. It is one of the most expensive tea that is sold in the UK. There are so many fake dealers of the Tieguanyin tea, but the authentic Tieguanyin tea has a wonderful delicate orchid aroma. The flavor is not grassy or bitter, and the aftertaste should be wonderful to the palette and long lasting. The tea leaves of the real Tieguanyin tea is tightly rolled and sounds like metal when they hit the bottom of the teapot.

TWG Yellow Gold Tea Buds

The Yellow Gold Tea is manufactured and sold by TWG. It was once a favorite of Chinese Emperors, today it is sold and lavished with 24-karat gold. As a result the tea has a unique and delicate metallic and floral aftertaste.

The TWG Yellow Gold Tea buds is currently sold at $529 Singapore dollars per 50g. The tea is very expensive because it can only be harvested in one mountain, and it can only be done once a year. This tea is also only available in Singapore. In order to harvest this special tea, they only use special golden scissors on the top part of the trea. It is very exclusive, the manufacturers paint the leaves with real gold that is non-toxic to the body.

Gyokuro Tea

Gyokuro tea also known as Jade Dew Tea is one of the most expensive tea in Japan. It is so valuable because there is intensive labor that happens in order to produce this tea. It is cultivated for three weeks before getting harvested. The plantation has to be covered with special sheets so the bushes will remain in the shade, and this is usually done manually. A lot of man hours are poured into the harvesting process of this rare and premium tea in Japan.

Most of the Gyokuro tea come from the gardens of Uji, found outside the historical city of Kyoto. It is also produced in Yame region of Fukuoka where it is ideal to grow the tea. The Gyokuro tea is delicate, which is why it has to be grown only in full shade, it has to be covered from the sun so it will not become acidic. The method of shading this rare tea began in the 1860’s the end of the Edo period.

The Gyokuro plant is small, which is why it is best to hand pick it. The leaves should be steamed fixed to preserve the dark green color and then processed using Sencha Rolling. After that it has to pass through a number of machines to become finish dried.

The recommended way to enjoy a cup of Gyokuro Tea is to make sure the water never reaches a boil; 122°-140° at most. Cover and steep for only 1.5 – 3 minutes.

One box of this special tea is usually sold at $30.