The 10 Most Expensive Types of Tea in the World
While many food and drink products are affordable and readily available, there are some that are surprisingly expensive. The high price is affected by factors including the rarity of the product, the production process, and any elements added to the food. Tea is one of the most popular beverages across the globe. It is made from the leaves of the tea plant and is and is added to a liquid to create both hot and cold beverages. Surprisingly, there are many people who are happy to pay astronomical amounts for the expereince of drinking these rare teas. Here are 10 of the most expensive types of tea in the world.
10. Flower Tea Tienchi – $170 per Kilogram
Grown in the southwest of China, Tienchi is a type of ginseng, says Grupo Empresa Falagan. It is collected only from the Yunnan Province. In medicine, both the flowers and the root are used, but only the flowers are used for flower tea Tienchi. The flowers resemble small broccoli, and the tea this plant produces has strong detoxification properties. Flower tea TIenchin has the aroma of ginseng and the flavor of cool mint.
9. Makaibari Tea Estate’s Tea Silver Tips Imperial – $400 per Kilogram
This is an Oolong tea that is grown in India on the Makaibari tea estate. The tea is a handmade, semi-fermented, light liquoring tea, says Business Insider. The leaves are only plucked from the plant on the days and night that land on a full moon. Therefore, production is very limited thus making this a rare tea. The leaves have a light silver color, hence their name, and a distinct color and taste.
8. Gyokuro Tea – $650 per Kilogram
While most of the world’s expensive teas are produced in China, Gyokuro tea is from the Uji district of Japan, says Foodofy. It is unusual because it is cultivated in the shade and harvested after between two and three weeks. This exotic variety of tea has an appealing jade green tint and a rich flavor.
7. Poo Poo Pu-Erh Tea – $1,000 per Kilogram
Most specialist teas are made from the leaves of just one tea variety. That is not the case with Poo Poo Pu-Erh Tea, which can contain any type of tea leaves. Business Today describes how the tea leaves are extracted from the excrement of insects that feed on the tea plants. The tea is handpicked out of the excrement by Taiwanese farmers using tweezers and a magnifying glass
6. Golden Tea Heads – $3,000 per Kilogram
The reason that this tea is so expensive is that it is so rare. In fact, it is collected on just one day per year and from only one mountain. The tea collectors use golden scissors to remove the upper section of the tea tree before drying the heads in natural sunlight. The tea heads begin to release a floral fragrance and turn yellow after they are stored in containers. The golden color of the leaves is then enhanced as they are hand-painted in 24-carat gold. It is sold only in Singapore.
5. Tieguanyin – $3,000 per Kilogram
Foodofy explains that this is a variety of Oolong tea from China. There are several legends relating to the history of this tea. One is that a scholar found the tea plant under the Guanyin rock and gave it to Emperor Qianlong. The other legend is about a peasant who was devoted to Guanyin and was rewarded with a single tea shoot. From this, the peasant created more tea shoots and transformed his life. It is a rare and high-quality tea that is now valued at $3,000 per kilogram.
4. Wuyi Oolong Vintage Narcissus Tea – $6,500 per Kilogram
According to Finances Online, this tea is grown on Mount Wuyi, which is located in Fujian Province in China. Despite its origins, it is named Narcissus after the Greek legend. It was created for the first time more than 500 years ago and has since become one of the most valuable types of tea in the world.
3. Panda Dung Tea – $70,000 per Kilogram
To create this special tea, the tea tree is fertilized with panda dung, says Tea Bloom. Pandas live on a diet of bamboo shoots and they absorb 30 percent of the nutrients. The remaining 70 percent of the nutrients are lost in excrement. The idea is that the nutrients in the panda dung are absorbed by the tea tree. The tea is priced so high because of the special process used for growing.
2. PG Tips Diamond Tea Bags – $15,000 Each
PG Tips is a British tea company who sell their regular boxes of tea bags for competitive prices compared to similar brands in the tea industry. For the company’s 75th anniversary, they wanted to create something special and came up with their diamond tea bags. Priced at $15,000 for a single tea bag, each is coated in 280 diamonds, states Tea Bloom. On the inside, the tea bags contain Silver Tips Imperial Tea.
1. Da-Hong Pao Tea – $1.2 Million per Kilogram
It is almost unbelievable that buying tea could cost more than $1 million, but that is the case if you want to buy the world’s most expensive tea, says Finances Online. The reason that Da-Hong Pao tea leaves cost $1.2 million per kilogram is that the Chinese government consider this tea a national treasure. How the tea is made is kept a secret, but it dates back to the Ming Dynasty. Now, it is usually saved to give as a gift from the government to honorable people.
