12 of the Most Expensive and Exclusive Teas in the World
Written by : Meg
Not all tea is created equal. Some are grown, harvested, and prepared in complicated and unusual ways that tea enthusiasts are prepared to pay big money for the privilege of having a sip. Here are some of the most expensive and exclusive teas from around the world.
This tea is made from a fermented Chinese black tea called pu’erh, salt, yak butter, and milk curds. This is one of the rarest teas in the world because all of its ingredients are sourced from specific areas of Tibet.
Yak butter po cha
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This tea’s most important characteristic is that it’s made of tea leaves fertilized with panda dung. It is believed that the tea carries the health benefits of the bamboo pandas consume because pandas only digest a small portion of their foods. You can get a pound of this tea for a shocking $35,000.
Panda Dung Tea
This is a white oolong tea whose leaves can only be picked once a year, at around midnight during a full moon in a summer solstice. Only carefully-trained women are allowed to pick the leaves. It is said that the drinker of this tea will be put in balance with the rhythm of the moon and sun.
Silver Tips Imperial Tea
GYOKURO
Gyokuro or “jewel” tea is one of the rarest and most expensive teas in the world because it is produced in a very controlled and specific environment.
GYOKURO
This is an oolong tea carefully cultivated, oxidized, and fired every two years. It is said to taste better as it ages. Some Vintage Narcissus teas can be more than fifty years old, increasing their prices to about $6,500 per kilogram.
Vintage Narcissus
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This oolong tea is produced using an ancient traditional method called Baorou, where the withered, dried, and oxidized tea leaves are wrapped in a cloth and rolled to create kitted pellets. This tea can be brewed multiple times. It is even said to taste better with multiple brews.
Tieguanyin tea
The tea leaves of this tea are grown on one side of a particular hill in Sichaun. They are harvested only once a year with a pair of golden scissors and dried in a way that turn them yellow. They are also coated with 24 karat gold, making them the core ingredient of one of the most expensive teas in the world.
Yellow Gold Buds
What makes this tea special is that it is made from the excrement of grain moths who have consumed the tea leaves. The excrement produces a dark, coffee-colored liquid with a smooth texture. You will probably find this tea only in small and old Chinese tea shops.
Poo poo pu-erh
This tea is incredibly rare because it is made from Tienchi flowers, flowers that only grow once every three years. It is said to treat several health conditions, such as insomnia and skin problems like rashes. You can usually only find this tea in specialty tea shops in Asia.
Tienchi flower tea
Kukicha is another Japanese tea that undergoes a special process like Gyokuro. The production of this tea doesn’t just involve the leaves. It also incorporates the stems and twigs of the plant to give it a more complicated flavor.
Fresh Green Kukicha
This is a rare oolong tea because there are only three bushes in the world where the plants for the tea grow, and these bushes are almost a thousand years old. You will probably struggle finding this in the US, but just so you know, it can cost you $30,000 per kilogram.
Da-hong pao
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In honor of the 75th anniversary of the PG Tips tea company, a jeweler has created luxurious tea bags that contain 280 diamonds on the outside and some Silver Tips Imperial Tea on the inside. A single tea bag costs about $15,000.
PG Tips diamond tea bags
There are so many teas a person can try in their lifetime. The different techniques of growing, harvesting, and preparing the ingredients can really make an incredible variety of teas. And they can be very expensive and rare too.
Want to know more about the teas around the world? Learn more on Drink Filtered.