Nothing seems to drum up headlines like ridiculously expensive tea. Okay, there are plenty of other things that drum up headlines, like problems in the Middle East and celebrities behaving badly. But pricey tea is still good for a headline or two.

Like one from a British newspaper not so long ago. And I quote: Would you pay £180 for a pot of TEA? World’s most expensive brew goes on sale. I’d be more excited about all of this but, as the title of my own article suggests, this sort of thing is hardly unusual. I’ve written on this topic before – here’s a recent example – but I’m always open to taking another look.

The pot of tea in question will set you back the equivalent of just over $300 and can be had at the “prestigious Royal China Club on London’s affluent Baker Street.” The tea in this case is said to be a “Da Honh Pao (Imperial Red Robe)” whose leaves have supposedly been aged for 80 years. The result, “an aromatic infusion with distinctive dark cocoa notes, a toasted fruity flavour and a long smooth aftertaste that lingers for several minutes after consumed.” Which sounds enticing enough.

So, let’s allow that a teapot contains four cups, on average. If you wanted to go in with four of your pals and spring for a pot of this elixir you could each get a cup of it for about 75 dollars. Which is nothing to sneeze at and, while I’m certainly an avid cheerleader for drinking the best tea that you can, I can’t help but wonder if there’s any tea in existence that’s worth that much. But I’ll extend the same offer I have before when writing about such pricey tea. If anyone would like to pass along a sample, I’ll be glad to give it a try.

If you’re not up for paying 75 big ones for a cup of tea, take heart. If you’re ever at the Royal China Club and you’re a little bit short you can get a much more reasonable serving of tea for two for a mere eight dollars.

See more of William I. Lengeman’s articles here.

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