Tea. A beverage. An emotion. An experience.
For many, simply a part of everyday life.
Tea has always been a big part of my life. There’s something just very therapeutic about the art of brewing a perfect cup of tea. Almost magical. It soothes you even before the first sip. By the last sip, you’re refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to face the world!
Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world. It has a rich history that dates back to a few millennia. Legend has it that it was accidentally brewed by a Chinese Emperor Shen Nung, in the year 2737 BC, who was boiling water under a wild tea tree when a breeze blew some leaves into his water. The resulting aromatic concoction laid the foundation for a beverage that actual wars were waged over!
Let’s grab some finger sandwiches and dive into some of the most exotic teas this world has to offer:
Dragon Well Tea
This famous Chinese handmade, pan-roasted green tea is created from an extremely labor-intensive process which includes hand plucking the first 30,000 tea shoots that are dried and fired in a wok and shaped by specific hand movements then refired. All this makes just one pound of tea!
Insect Poop Tea
If the name grossed you out, the description does nothing to salvage that. This exotic tea comes from insect droppings! Bugs ingest tea, and their droppings are collected, sifted, and dried to create a safe to consume delicacy that can sell anywhere from US$250 to US$1000 per pound!
White Pearls Tea
Grab your pearls and diamonds to enjoy this exotic tea that can take your High Tea up a notch or two. It comes from a special strain of tea that is harvested only a few days a year in China’s Fujian province. This breathtakingly beautiful tea is made from freshly sprouted buds that are rolled into “pearls” and gently unfurl when infused.
Yellow Gold Tea
This tea was considered the favorite of Chinese Emperors. It is one of the most expensive teas in the world as each bud is swathed with real 24k gold. As the buds unfurl while being infused, the tea imbibes a delicate metallic yet floral aftertaste.
Well, those certainly piqued our curiosi-tea.
While the exotic teas on this list may seem like a dream, adopting tea into your everyday life can have multiple health benefits. Green teas are known to have antioxidants and their impact on weight loss while white tea is said to have anti-cancer properties. Tea is indeed a magical brew.
So keep calm and brew a cuppa.
Very nicely articulated. Being a tea lover myself, I dream of experiencing the exotic teas described above. 💕
This was fabulous. Such a good read and so interesting!
I’m having tea cravings now. I wish I had me some Yellow Gold Tea
Quite insightful and good writing, Meghan!
Ravi Uncle