Probably the most expensive tea -Mariage Freres Sacred White

by Chee Leng
(Singapore)

It is said that Mariage Freres are one of the best tea blenders around and sacred white is one of the best tea around.

Put them together and you would need to pay 25 british pounds per pot (slight more than 2 cups). That is about close to $60 Singapore dollars.

Two cups of teh (tea with milk) costs about $1.40, so this is about 40 times more expensive!

But these teas are really special. First, they are grown in a secret spot in Sri Lanka, supposedly to be the best place to grow teas.

Then, they are handpicked by women wearing fine cotton gloves and using scissors made of pure gold.

This is done following a legend of a China emperor that loves to drink white tea. He ordered that the tea in order to be good must only be picked at dawn and by young virgins using golden scissors.

Today, the women wears fine cotton gloves to collect the pekoe (bud) so as not to harm the shoots. They are still using golden scissors (properly a marketing gimmick?).

The nutrition content? This white tea is low in caffeine and contains more antioxidants than any other green tea.

Okay, this tea is special. Now my question to you -would you spend 40 times the price of a normal tea just to drink a tea that is plucked using fine cotton gloves and golden scissors?