Da Hong Pao Tea Costs $10,000 A Pot And Counting

Tea drinkers, hold on to your pots. According to the BBC, the world's most expensive tea costs a whopping $10,000 a pot, and it could get even pricier.

The tea in question is called Da Hong Pao, and it hails from a town called Wuyishan in the Fujian province of southeastern China. Original Da Hong Pao costs "$1,400 for a single gram, or well over $10,000 for a pot," the BBC says.

The reason for this exorbitant price tag is that only a few of the original tea trees remain. Not only that, but the estimated 350-year-old trees haven't been harvested since 2005 and likely won't produce leaves for harvest ever again, which means the tea's price could continue to climb. Additionally, the tea is said to have medicinal properties, and legend has it that it helped cure a Ming dynasty emperor's mother after falling ill.

Not all Da Hong Pao tea costs that much however. Around the UNESCO-protected natural heritage site where the original trees can be found, other Da Hong Pao oolong trees grow and produce more affordable leaves. For example, one and a half ounces of a Harney & Sons variety goes for $20, which, though not cheap, is a bargain compared to the original leaves.

So would you spend 10 grand on a pot of tea? If you're asking us: "Not for all the tea in China."