What Are the Benefits of Drinking Da Hong Pao Tea?
Tea drinkers, have you ever thought that your tea was super expensive? If so, know that the tea you drink is insanely cheap compared to Da Hong Pao tea.
Da Hong Pao tea is the most expensive tea in the world at $1.2 million per kg or close to $600,000 per pound. This tea is grown in the Wuyi mountains in Fujian Province, China. For many reasons, this tea is both very famous and very expensive. However, with that price, this tea comes with a lot of benefits.
Da Hong Pao tea’s most known benefit is its blood glucose stabilizing abilities. Of course, that’s not all this tea can do for you. There are several great benefits that give some reason as to why this tea is so expensive.
As said before, this tea has several health benefits when consumed. Some of these benefits are more known than others and it is most known is stabilizing blood glucose.
Blood Glucose
This tea does what many other teas can’t. A study that had been done on the tea showed how when drinking Da Hong Pao tea, glucose and fructosamine levels in the blood dropped. These findings can be very beneficial to those with type 2 diabetes by helping regulate blood sugar. Though, the price of this tea doesn’t make it a good solution for many.
Heart Health
Not only does Da Hong Pao tea help with blood sugar, but it also greatly helps overall heart health.
This tea is rich in polyphenols, which can help with lowering cholesterol. With that, this tea can help with blood circulation, prevent various heart diseases, and prevent plaque build-up in the arteries.
The only heart-related thing that this tea doesn’t help with is the fact that this tea is caffeinated. Keep that in mind before giving this tea a try.
Digestion
Like many teas, Da Hong Pao tea helps a lot with digestion. Bloated? Da Hong Pao tea will help with any water retention that may be occurring. The plentiful amount of antioxidants and caffeine that is in this tea will aid in digestion.
With the antioxidants and other good things that are in this tea, Da Hong Pao tea will help with overall gut health. This will make your metabolism more efficient and help with any digestion problems that you may have. The oolong tea that is in this tea blend is a big contributor to how this tea is great for
Since Da Hong Pao tea is great for digestion and gut health, that transfers to how it’s great for your skin. The antioxidants in it help keep your skin hydrated and healthy. In fact, this tea is said to reverse skin aging to a certain degree.
The Immune System
With the antioxidants and vitamins that this tea has, it will help strengthen your immune system. Getting any extra antioxidants into your system is always a good idea as it can help prevent any diseases that you can get being out and about.
Mental Health
No, this isn’t talking about this tea helping with anxiety. What Da Hong Pao tea can do for your brain is help with focus. This can be seen with how there is caffeine in the tea along with L-theanine which can be both relaxing and energizing.
With the addition of caffeine and L-theanine, this tea can remove fatigue and brain fog for a short while.
Why Is Da Hong Pao Tea So Expensive?
As stated above, Da Hong Pao tea is the most expensive tea in the world at around $600,000 per pound. Not many people will be able to enjoy the long-term benefits that this tea will give when a few ounces of tea run at least $25.
The main reason why this tea is so expensive is that there is only so much of it produced every year.
Da Hong Pao tea is grown in the Fujian Province on the Wuyi mountains. This is where they have grown for thousands of years and they don’t grow anywhere else.
There are only a few of these trees left on the mountains, 6 trees were noted and protected in 2006. With that few of trees, only so much of the tea leaves can be harvested. Each year, only around 400 grams of tea leaves are harvested.
With very few tea leaves being in circulation, the price goes up a lot. Also, there is such a cultural relevance with these tea leaves, having been consumed since the Ming Dynasty.
This tea is also known as “red robe tea” since only emperors and the very elite class were able to purchase it for such a long time.
The cheaper versions of this tea, the ones you can buy for $25-$50 per few ounces, are not authentic. Instead, they are artificially bred and don’t have the same quality as authentic tea leaves.
Da Hong Pao Tea Taste
Other than the tea’s incredible health benefits, another reason why it’s so desired is for its taste. The traditional way this tea is brewed with water from a purple clay teapot. While many teas don’t want you to brew with boiling water, Da Hong Pao tastes best with boiling water on its 3rd or 4 round of steeping.
The taste of Da Hong Pao tea can be described as earthy, nutty, and spicy in a balanced way. Some say there’s a hint of brown sugar or stone fruit in the flavor and goes with many warm spices.
Unlike many teas (other than herbal teas,) Da Hong Pao tea isn’t bitter. Instead, it is sweeter with a caramel or toffee touch. It is a perfect tea to drink in the colder fall months.
Final Thoughts
This tea is certainly one of a kind. With its rich and pleasant flavor and its amazing health benefits, Da Hong Pao makes itself to be quite desirable.
This tea can help stabilize blood glucose, can improve digestion and gut health, can strengthen the immune system, among many other great benefits.
If you ever get the chance to try this tea, take the opportunity to enjoy something that not many other people get to enjoy.
