Tea is not only a delicious beverage but also a cultural symbol. Due to their exceptional quality and rarity, certain teas are highly sought after by collectors, commanding astronomical prices. Here are the top 5 most expensive teas in the world—let’s take a look at just how jaw-dropping these drinkable collectibles can be.
The World's Most Expensive Teas
Taiwan Oriental Beauty Tea: Oriental Beauty Tea is renowned for its natural honey aroma, which develops after the tea leaves are bitten by green leafhoppers. In Taiwan’s tea competitions, the top-prize winner can fetch over NT$500,000 per 600 g at auction, making it Taiwan’s most expensive competition tea—equivalent to over $20,000 USD per kilogram.
Fenghuang Dancong Song Zhong No. 1: Fenghuang Dancong is a famous tea from Guangdong, China, with Song Zhong No. 1 being the most precious of all. This 600-year-old tea tree is legendary as the mother tree of the local area. In 2016, Song Zhong No. 1 sold at auction for a staggering 1 million RMB per kilogram—equivalent to over $130,000 USD per kilogram. This tree has since died, meaning it is no longer available for any price.
Imperial Eighteen Longjing of Zhejiang: The most prestigious Longjing tea is the “Imperial Eighteen.” Legend has it that these eighteen tea trees in the West Lake were bestowed imperial honors by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. With an annual yield of less than 100 grams, these trees are priceless.
Mother Tree Dahongpao: Wuyi Mountain’s Dahongpao is the pinnacle of Chinese oolong tea, and its mother trees are exceptionally rare treasures. To protect these six mother trees, the local government banned harvesting them in 2006. Before the harvest ban, 20 grams of Mother Tree Dahongpao sold for an astronomical 208,000 RMB in 2005—equaling 10.4 million RMB per kilogram, or roughly $1.4 million USD.
Purple Ticket Fuyuanchang Hao Pu-erh: The most expensive tea in the world is the 1920 “Purple Ticket Fuyuanchang Hao” Pu-erh tea. At a 2019 auction, this tea fetched an astonishing HK$26.32 million (approximately NT$105 million), setting a record for Pu-erh tea auctions. Valued for its age and historical significance, this century-old bamboo-husk-wrapped tong of Pu-erh has captured the attention of collectors and is hailed as the “King of Pu-erh.” Weighing 2,236 grams in total, it translates to roughly $1.5 million USD per kilogram.
The World's Most Expensive Teas
These are some of the most expensive teas in the world in recent years. Their exorbitant prices stem not only from their rarity but also from intense bidding wars at auctions. Often far exceeding their value for actual consumption, these teas have evolved into treasured collector’s items.