Would you like to have a cup of 2,160 dlrs tea with long lasting fragrance?

WASHINGTON - State Guest Da Hung Pao tea’s fragrance is believed to be so long-lasting that if you drink a glass one morning, the delicate perfume will still be detectable the morning after.

People do pay big money for this premium brand of da hung pao, similar to oolong, a type of semi-fermented tea.he price for 50 grams-a handful of leaves-is 16,800 Hong Kong dollars (US 2,160 dollars). (The same amount of other da hung pao teas costs HK138 dollars.)

Every year, the 100 canisters of State Guest Da Hung Pao tea sell out within two months. A waiting list for the 2011-year harvest has already begun.

Here’s why many people will pay so much for this tea, according to Tracy Ho, general manager of Wuyi Star Teahouse general manager, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The strength of 60: The leaves from the State Guest Da Hung Pao are said to be potent enough to brew multiple pots of tea-up to 60 infusions. So instead of just five cups of tea from a 50-gram canister (each serving being 10 grams of leaves and roughly 100 milliliters of 1000C water), you’re really getting 3,000.

White-glove service: Not only is State Guest Da Hung Pao farmed organically, its leaves (unlike those of other teas) are never permitted to touch the ground: They’re hand-picked from the bush and handled with special care through the withering, sifting and drying process. So while standard tea etiquette recommends dumping out the water of the first brew-to “cleans” the leaves-this is not necessary for the State Guest Da Hung Pao.

Premium growth: The home of da hung pao tea is Wu Yi Mountain in China’s northern Fujian province, where the six “mother bushes” grow. All are protected by law against picking, so today da hung pao tea leaves are harvested from clones. The clones that produce the State Guest Da Hung Pao, though, are the ones closest to the mother bushes, where the soil is especially porous. As such, they absorb additional minerals and take on more complex flavor profiles.

Certified: The State Guest Da Hung Pao packaging bears an official seal from the Fujian municipal government verifying its origin.

A national treasure: Said to be the “king of all Chinese teas,” da hung pao teas are often given as gifts to heads of state. U.S. President Richard Nixon was famously presented with da hung pao by Mao Zedong during his visit to China.

Smooth taste: The signature taste of da hung pao is distinctively floral.

“Think of it like a good perfume, which can last all day and changes in quality when you wear it,” said Ho.

“That’s the effect of the best da hung ao-it is a rare blend of long-lasting, but not overpowering.”

The State Guest Da Hung Pao in particular is not only strongly aromatic, it’s also less acidic and less bitter than other da hung. (ANI)