Rare teas have long fetched sky-high prices in China. This country used to often hold auctions of good tea.
In 2002, 20 grams of Da Hong Pao, which used to only serve the emperor, was sold at auction for $28,000 in Guangzhou. In 2009, 100 grams of Taiping Houkui tea (green tea from Anhui) sold for $31,300 in Jinan.
In December 2021, Sotheby’s Group in Hong Kong opened its first tea auction, focusing on classic pu-erh teas. Specifically, a 330 gram tea cake (tea leaves compressed into a cake) sells for 72,150 USD. That is, this rare tea costs around 200,000 – 300,000 USD per kg.
To understand why Chinese tea is so expensive, author Maggie Hiufu Wong goes to the Glassbelly Tea Lab restaurant in Hong Kong, which sells one of the most expensive varieties of tea on the planet.
A delicious three-course dinner at the restaurant begins. Abalone or Wagyu A4 are not the stars on the table. The focal point is the eight cups of tea – which draws diners to this restaurant that specializes in oolong tea. On the left are three small cups filled with: raw puerh tea flavored with prunes (puerh), Yunnan black tea (Dian Hong’s Golden Needle) and rougui – an oolong tea that grows in the rocky mountains of Wuyi, Fujian peat. On the right is the Full Blossom Rougui tea.
Each cup of tea costs hundreds of dollars. Photo: Maggie Hiufu Wong
The top rated item in Glassebelly was Niu Lan Keng’s rougui. This is a rare type of oolong tea, which grows on the banks of a river located in the valley of the same name as the Wuyi range. The retail price for 25 grams is $4,560, or almost $185,000 per kilogram at current exchange rates. One small teapot contains 150-200 ml of water, usually mixed with 5 grams of tea leaves. A pinch of delicious tea can make up to 10 waters.
To understand the value of tea, you must know what good tea is, according to Wing Yeung, founder of Glassbelly. “Try it. This is Niu Lan Keng Rougui. We don’t make this tea often,” Yeung said with a smile. Then, he poured $3,577 worth of tea into a small mug to invite guests over.
The first sip will numb the tip of your tongue, then a hint of orange and sandalwood. The aroma and sweet taste are clear and vivid on the tip of the tongue. This sweet taste is special because it brings a fresh taste, with a hint of bitterness.
While enjoying, all visitors are calmer to focus on the remaining taste of the tea. “I think good tea has its own taste. That is what they are looking for, as well as answering the question of why tea is expensive. But that much tea was still cheaper than a bottle of red wine. Luxury too. really expensive?”, Yeung said.
Experts believe that brewed water boiled in a silver pot will make the tea taste better. Photo: Maggie Hiufu Wong
In addition to its great taste, tea is expensive in part because of its rare origin. For example, Da Hong Pao (Da Hong Pao), is also an expensive iced tea. Currently, there are only about six ancient tea roots in the Wuyi rocky mountain, according to BBC. In 2005, the last 20 grams of tea leaves from this mother plant were put into the National Museum in Beijing, so far no further picking.
At present, the high-grade Da Hong Pao tea tree is obtained from these six mother trees, and the annual exploitation is also very limited. In addition, teas differ from each other in one respect: manual or commercial processing. Of course, handmade tea leaves are always more expensive.
Pu-erh tea has a high price in the international market. Photo: Maggie Hiufu Wong
Mr Minh (Based on CNN)
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vnexpress.net – Read the original article here
