Prestigious Red Robe (Da Hong Pao) is grown in the Wuyi Mountains. The ideal terroir of rocky and mineral-rich soil is key to the extraordinary flavor of the tea. According to legend, the mother of a Ming Dynasty Emperor fell ill, but when he received this tea as a gift, it cured her of her ailment. To express his gratitude, he sent grand red robes to the tea farmer to be draped over the tea plants. Today, there is an inscription on a cliff face – “Da Hong Pao” over a handful of ancient tea trees on a cliff in the Wuyi Nature Preserve, touting these trees as the original source of this prestigious tea. For years, the extremely limited teas from these trees was reserved for China’s most elite, and was even presented to President Nixon in 1972. Today, harvesting from these trees has been banned altogether, and the available Da Hong Pao comes only from descendant plants, derived from cuttings taken long ago. Original Red Robe costs more than 30 times its weight in gold: almost over RM 40,000 for a pot.