What do you think is the most popular soft drink in the world after water? If you decide that it is tea, then the guess is correct. According to statistics, from 2 to 3 billion cups of tea and about 2 billion cups of coffee are drunk every day in the world.
We have already written about the most expensive coffee in the world. The time has come to talk about the most expensive varieties of tea, for which foodies are willing to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
10. Gorreana Broken Leaf - $ 405 / kg
This tea comes from the oldest tea plantation in Europe. In addition, Gorreana is the only tea plantation that still operates in Europe (on the island of San Miguel, Azores). It produces about 33 tons of tea per year.
Several varieties of tea are grown on it, but Broken Leaf black tea is special. It consists of only third leaves from each branch of the tea bush.
Copper color and fruity aroma distinguish it from other teas.
9. Gyokuro Tea - 650 $ / kg
Our rating of the most expensive teas in the world continues with a purebred Japanese with a beautiful name, which translates as “precious drop” or “pearl dew”. It has a pronounced green color.
To increase the amino acid content in leaves and reduce the content of catechin (it gives tea bitterness), they are protected from sunlight two weeks before harvest. This allows the gokuro to develop a unique aroma and acquire a sweet taste.
8. Poo Poo Pu-Erh Tea - 1000 $ / kg
Although the name of this tea sounds like it was invented by a child sitting on a pot, the history of Pu Pu Puer dates back to the 18th century. The Emperor of China, Aishingyo Hongli from the Qing Dynasty, was the first to enjoy this drink, which was sent to him as a gift by doctors.
But why did Poo Poo Pu-Erh get its mysterious name? The fact is that for its creation, insects are used that feed on tea leaves and nothing else. Using tweezers and a magnifying glass, the workers carefully collect the excrement of these insects and prepare the tonic Pu Pu Puer from it. A thousand dollars for edible feces, not bad, right?
7. Tieguanyin Tea - 3000 $ / kg
One of the most expensive and elite varieties of oolong tea has a floral aroma and is known for the fact that it can be used up to seven times before it loses its pleasant smell.
The name of the tea, which translates as “Iron Goddess of Mercy”, comes from the name of the Chinese goddess of mercy, Guan Yin, and, of course, several legends are associated with this. One of them tells the story of a very poor peasant who looked after an abandoned temple dedicated to this goddess. Once Kuan Yin appeared to him in a dream and spoke about the place where the treasures were hidden.
When the peasant went to the place indicated in the dream, he found a plant there, took it and began to look after it. Later, he decided to make tea from the leaves of the plant and received an excellent quality drink, the sale of which brought him wealth and prosperity. And the word “iron” in the name of tea appeared because when brewing it immediately sank to the bottom.
6. Yellow Gold Tea Buds - $ 3000 / kg
There is only one plantation in the world where this tea is harvested, and to make it even rarer, it is harvested only one day a year, and only with the help of special golden scissors, and only from the top of the bush.
The exclusive supplier of Yellow Gold Tea Buds is Singapore-based TWG. And when she gives her product a name with the word Gold, it is not an empty phrase. There are indeed bits of edible 24-carat gold in this grade of tea. In Asia, a special relationship to gold is considered to be good for health.
As a result, tea lovers can enjoy not only an expensive, but also a very beautiful-looking drink.
5. Vintage Narcissus - $ 6,500 / kg
According to Greek legend, Narcissus was a very handsome and most narcissistic young man who ever lived on Earth. On his behalf came the term narcissism.
And Vintage Narcissus tea boasts both the beauty of the packaging and the taste, which is dominated by chocolate, floral and woody notes. The peculiarity of this variety of tea is a smoky aroma, acquired due to the fact that the leaves were fried on charcoal.
But boasting youth, like the mythological Narcissus, Vintage Narcissus cannot. In fact, it is stored in a box of 60 years of age. In the 1960s, it was transported to Singapore from China, and then changed hands many times. In 2013, it was acquired by a millionaire from Malaysia. It is not known whether he enjoyed the contents or left the box intact until the next sale.
4. Panda dung tea - $ 7000 / kg
The secret to this very expensive tea is pandas. These cute black and white bears eat only bamboo, and at the same time absorb about 30% of the nutrients from it. All other beneficial substances remain in their excrement.
But if you grin squeamishly at these words, imagining how pandas are added to tea, then we hasten to reassure: it is used exclusively as an organic fertilizer.
The idea to use extremely nutritious panda dung for tea cultivation came up with the Chinese entrepreneur Yanshi. He claims that tea grown to be a symbol of China is a “ripe and nutty flavor” and many health benefits.
3. Junshan Yinzhen - $ 8,000 / kg
One of the most famous teas in China with the beautiful name "Silver Needles from Mount Junshan" grows on the island of Junshan. And the phrase “silver needles” is explained by the fact that its leaves are folded into needle-shaped tubes and covered with tiny white villi.
There are 9 collection rules for Junshan Yinzhen, according to which you must not break:
- even a little opened kidney
- a damaged kidney
- a hollow kidney
- too long kidney
- too short a kidney
- a dew-covered kidney
- purple kidney
- sluggish kidney
- and finally you cannot pick tea on a rainy day.
2. PG Tips Diamond - $ 15,000 / kg
The second most expensive tea in the world is not grown on the litter of a rare animal, and it is not collected by virgins with golden scissors once a year. So what is so special about him? For $ 15,000, you'll get a tea bag adorned with 280 handmade diamonds by Boodles jewelers. Such bags were made in honor of the 75th anniversary of the British tea company PG Tips.
However, the fact that the price of this tea is made up of the amount of precious stones does not mean that low-quality raw materials were put in a bag. Quite the opposite! The tea leaves used in PG Tips Diamond are Silver Tips Imperial Tea. This special tea from the foot of the Himalayas is famous for its delicate taste. It is collected only in the full moon and for special fermentation is intertwined with silver threads.
1. Da-Hong Pao - $ 600,000 / kg
This legendary tea belonging to semi-fermented oolong tea is so valuable that China considers it a national treasure. The history of Da-Hong Pao cultivation dates back to the Ming Dynasty.
The most expensive tea in the world is often used as a gift for officials and important people. In 2002, a restaurant in Guangzhou bought at auction about 7 liang (0.35 kg) of Da Hong Pao tea from mother bushes for 120 thousand dollars.
The six maternal tea bushes from which raw materials for Da Hong Pao are collected are very ancient: they are almost 400 years old. As if that were not enough, the last crop was in 2005.
In fact, there are other, commercial Da Hong Pao teas that are made from leaves taken from the descendants of mother bushes.
The origin of Da Hong Pao (translated from Chinese as “Big Red Robe”) is associated with many legends, but among them there are two of the most famous. According to one of them, the monk repelled the student who received heat stroke with this tea. Having successfully passed the exam and received a good position, the former student wanted to thank the monk and sent him a red coat with a dragon embroidered on it. However, the monk, following Buddhist traditions, refused the gift, and then the donor wrapped the tea bush in an expensive red cloth.
According to another legend, the mother of the emperor of the Ming dynasty recovered from illness thanks to this precious drink, and her son sent four large red robes as a sign of gratitude to cover them with healing tea bushes.
