Have you tried these exotic teas?

There is a world beyond cutting chai and tea bags;  some intricate tea flavours and stories will last you a lifetime. Cultivating and harvesting processes differ and in some cases, the tea leaves are pampered better than royalty. This may affect how much you shell out for your evening cuppa. People know that there is a price to be paid for the Darjeeling First Flush Tea, and it isn’t comparable with the black tea in your kitchen. So how much are tea lovers willing to spend on their favourite brew? 

Gold in your tea
At ₹23,000 for 50 grams (that’s about 25 cups of tea) of Yellow Gold Tea Buds from China, this tea offers a taste of gold. This tea is harvested with a pair of gold scissors and after being processed, the tea buds are brushed with 24-carat gold. These rare tea buds are plucked from a solitary mountain only on one day every year. This erstwhile favourite of Chinese Emperors retains its regal standing even today. If you are ever looking for a cup of celebratory tea, this is it. 

The elixir of life

Image Credit: Iateasquirrel (CC.BY-SA 3.0)

Found in the Fujian Province in China, there are two reasons Da Hong Pao retails at ₹2,500 for 50 grams. Firstly, the buzz around this oolong dates back to the Ming dynasty; legend goes that the emperor’s mother was unwell and was miraculously cured by consuming this brew. Four bushes of the original curative tea are still said to exist. Secondly, this tea is cultivated in the gaps between boulders and cracks in the mountains of the Fujian region. As it is very difficult to cultivate any produce on this terrain, the tea here is special and has a beautiful mineral flavour. 

Jewel tones

Image Credit: Rama, (CC BY-SA 2.0 FR)

A delicate steamed green tea, Gyokuro is sheltered from the sun for the last two weeks of its cultivation, which lends a light floral sweet flavour to the brew. The name 'Gyokuro' means jade dew and refers to the jewel tone of the tea. Priced at approximately ₹4,000 for 100 grams (that’s about 50 cups of tea), this Japanese tea is in the same league as the Da Hong Pao. 

A toast to health 

Image Credit: TeaTrunk.com

Moon White Tea is plucked only on a full-moon night. This is no occult practice,  but a special ritual to preserve the delicate flavour of the tea buds. When plucked in the coolness of a full-moon night, the tea is able to retain more moisture and thus preserve maximum flavour. The most exclusive single estate silvers from Darjeeling retail for ₹4,500 per 100 grams. The brew is mellow, floral and  naturally sweet. If you’re drinking tea for good health, then your search ends here. With 12 times more antioxidants than green tea (because it has the least amount of processing compared to any other tea), you need no other fountain of youth. It is available as a part of a luxury tea collection on TeaTrunk.com. 

One of a kind
Two rare Indian teas demand special mention. The divine Organic Deha Green Tea is crafted by the Deha Estate in Upper Assam. At ₹2,550 per kg, this tea fetched a record price at the tea auctions in Guwahati in June 2015. If tea had the shelf life of wine, this is one tea to save for posterity. This tea is special not because of its price, but because of how rare and exotic it is; very few people have discovered it. 

White Peony Rosette Tea. Image Credit: Gopaldhara Tea Estate

Loyalists of Peony Rosette Tea—crafted by Gopaldhara Tea Estate of Darjeeling—will vouch for this sublime tea. Hundreds of tea buds are manually tied into a flower. Priced at ₹21,600 per kilo it has a distinguished flavour and stands out as an exquisite handcrafted tea from India. 

Snigdha Manchanda is a certified Tea Sommelier, specialising in creating hand-blended teas. The founder of TeaTrunk.com guarded her teas from around the world in her dad's vintage trunk, until the day she realised that tea tastes best when shared. Tea Trunk is the home of her teas and their aromatic stories.