10 Most Expensive Tea in the World that Will Shock You

Many of us enjoy tea as a daily routine. A steaming cup of tea is guaranteed to calm, hydrate, and detoxify our body and leaves it fresher than before.

Some drink it out of necessity, while some for the taste and quality. Among them are the aficionados who only look for the best quality tea in-store.

If you happen to be one of them, look no further, as here’s a list of 10 world’s most expensive tea that will surely shock you:

1. Da-Hong Pao Tea – $1.2 mil/kg

Da-Hong Pao is a type of Chinese Oolong tea grown in the Wuyi Mountains of China. Its popularity dates back to the ruler of the Ming Dynasty who was cured after drinking it.

Since then, Da-Hong Pao leaves are considered as Chinese national treasure and offered as a gift to notable figures and visitors.

Its name can be translated to “Big Red Robe” in English, and it has medicinal benefits such as preventing plaque on the arterial walls and providing antioxidants for the immune system, among many others.

If a kilogram of gold roughly costs $45,650, then a kilogram of Da-Hong Pao tea ($1.2 million) is more expensive than gold.

2. Panda Dung Tea – $70,000/kg

As bizarre as it sounds, Panda Dung tea plant uses excrement of a panda as fertilizer. Panda only eats wild bamboo and absorbs 30% of the nutrients.

Therefore, as a recycling method, the rest is used as a fertilizer for the tea plant.

Panda Dung is first cultivated and produced by An Yanshi, a calligraphy teacher, in Ya’an Mountains in Sichuan, China. Resembling green tea, Panda Dung can be used as an organic solution for cancer prevention.

A cup of Panda Dung costs $200, or approximately $70,000 per kilogram.

3. PG Tips Diamond Tea Bag – $15,000/tea bag

Ever imagined having a tea with over than 280 diamonds studded in its bag?

PG Tips tea bag was first introduced by PG Tips, a British tea company, in 2005 as a fund-raising campaign for the Manchester Children’s hospital.

It was meticulously handcrafted by Boodles, a UK jewelry brand, and it took them 3 months to finish.

In addition to that, the PG Tips Diamond Tea bag is also enclosed with Makibari Estate’s Silver Tips Imperial tea, which is the most expensive Darjeeling tea.

With all of its lushness, it does make sense if one bag of PG Tips costs $15,000.

4. Vintage Narcissus Wuyi Oolong Tea – $6,500/kg

Named after a Greek mythological figure with the same name, Vintage Narcissus is an expensive and rare oolong tea coming from Wuyi Mountains.

It is a tea that meant for prolonged preservation. To ensure its condition, it is fired once in two years to dry out extra moisture. Therefore, similar to a wine, Vintage Narcissus’ taste improves with age.

It embodies a distinct wooden, floral, and chocolate flavor and wouldn’t be surprising if it costs $6,500 per kg due to its uniqueness and rarity.

5. Tieguanyin Tea – $3,000/kg

Resembling highly-regarded teas in the world, Tieguanyin tea was named after a Buddhist Iron Goddess of Mercy, Tieguanyin.

This tea is a combination of black and green tea that’s fermented to create a unique taste.

Although it is considered as an Oolong tea, its chestnut flavor gives a distinct hook that sets it apart from others. Interestingly, Tieguanyin leaves can be served up to seven times until it begins to lose its flavor.

A kilogram of Tieguanyin costs $3,000, thus making it one of the most expensive tea.

6. Poo Poo Pu-Erh Tea – $1,000/kg

Nowadays, eating and drinking foods or beverages from animal excrements is not so unusual among experts. Poo Poo Pu-Erh is no different.

Pu-Erh incorporates insect’s excrement in the leaf mixture. Despite this fact, Poo Poo Pu-Erh is still known and liked worldwide because of the health benefit it provides.

The Chinese invented Poo Poo Pu-Erh in Yunnan Province during 1950s. This rare tea has a rich and strong taste that gets better through time.

Hence, the price is rising every year. Usually, one kilogram of Pu-Erh costs $1,000.

7. Yellow Gold Tea Buds – $3,000/kg

Originated in China and was a favorite amongst Chinese emperors, Yellow Gold Tea is an exceptional tea because of its real 24-carat gold coating.

In addition to that, it can only be harvested at one particular place and in one day in a year.

Living up to its name, the tea will get a golden hue once the prepared leaves open up. Yellow Gold tea is said to have a delicate metallic and floral aftertaste and is good for health if consumed regularly.

This tea is only sold in Singapore and fetches you $3,000 for one kilogram of leaves.

8. Silver Tips Imperial Tea – $400/kg

Plucked only during the full moon by specially-trained hands, Silver Tips Imperial is one of the most expensive tea harvested by Makaibari Tea Estate in Darjeeling.

This tea is sold in a limited amount and usually priced $400 per kg. However, in 2014, 3 buyers from UK, USA, and Japan managed to acquire it although in a higher rate of $1850.

Silver Tips Imperial emanates a great aroma. The taste is complex and deeply layered with the fusion of mangoes and frangipanis.

Moreover, it is said to have a relaxing and anti-aging effect, and best sipped before bedtime.

9. Tienchi Flower Tea – $170/kg

The least expensive tea on the list, Tienchi flower tea is highly-prized not only in China but also across Asia due to its healing properties.

It has a green color with unique broccoli-like shape, and when brewed, the liquid becomes yellow emerald with ginseng and sweet-minty smell.

Tienchi’s flower is used for reducing inflammation, sore throat, and detoxifying, among many other benefits.

Each kilogram of the flower will cost you $170. Totally worth the try, considering it’s cheaper yet still provides the same benefits.

10. Gyokuro – $650/kg

Considered as the noblest of all tea, Gyokuro is a Japanese green tea that undergoes a special processing method where it is shaded from sunlight 20 days prior to cultivation.

Resembling the name, it produces a jade tint when infused. Gyokuro has a marine taste and sweet, robust smell. This tea is typically found in Uiji, Yame, and Asahina regions in Japan and usually takes 2-3 weeks to harvest.

Gyokuro is great as cancer prevention as well as for dental health. One kilogram of Gyokuro costs $650.

Final Words

The world of tea has a wide range of selection. Therefore, there is always room for tasting new flavors or just experimentally mixing one blend with another.

However, if you’ve ever tasted any of the tea mentioned, consider yourself as very lucky. Not only that it is costly, but some of the variants are very hard to find too.