The Chinese have been drinking tea for more than 4,000 years.
The fragrance of tea is as long as its history, and that of the world’s most expensive tea, State Guest Da Hung Pao tea, can often last until the next day.
It is similar to Oolong, which is a semifermented tea.
Costing $2,160 for 50 grams, the tea is sold at 40 stores across greater China.
However, multiple pots of tea—up to 60—can be brewed from a handful of tea leaves.
Each serving is 10 grams of leaves to 100 ml of boiled water; 3,000 cups can be made from 50 grams of tea.
Legend goes that an ancient Chinese king and herbalist named Yan Di was saved from poisoning by a waterdrop from a tea tree.
From a herbal medicine, tea became a religious offering during the Western Zhou Dynasty; in China, tea leaves were eaten as vegetables and as Buddhism spread, it was used by monks in Za-Zen meditation.
Tea shops sprang up in the Tang Dynasty, during which Tea Classics, the cornerstone of Chinese tea culture, was written by Lu Yu, tea sage of China.
Only 100 tins of State Guest Da Hung Pao tea are available each year and are sold out within a month.
All canisters of State Guest Da Hung Pao packaging bears the official seal from the Fujian municipal government verifying its origin.
Called the “king of all Chinese teas”, it is also a state gift to visiting dignitaries.