Da Hong Pao Tea, Most Expensive Tea
​
Tea enthusiasts head to a town in southern China to find one of the most expensive tea varieties in the world.
​
More popular for its price than its taste, the extremely rare and original Da Hong Pao (Imperial Red Robe) tea costs about $10,000 per pot, or around $1,400 per gram.
​
Found only in the Chinese town of Wuyishan, Da Hong Pao is the heavily oxidized, dark Oolong tea known for its sweet aroma and a smoky, mellow flavor that leaves an enduring aftertaste minutes after consumed.
​
The expensive variety comes from the group of ancient and almost extinct wild “mother trees” from steep Tianxin Rock in the Wuyi Mountains in Jiulongke. The very last of these rare tea leaves were harvested in 2005 from the trees, which will never yield again.
​
The price of the legendary tea, which dates as far back as the early 18th century (Dao Guang Era), will only get higher as merchants and tea collectors have hoarded the remaining antique tea leaves.
​
“The original Da Hong Pao is so expensive because there are hardly any of the original tea trees left.
The Macallan Scotch Whisky
​
The Macallan is generally considered to be the second or third highest-selling single-malt scotch. Macallan was matured only in oak sherry casks brought to the distillery from Jerez, Spain.
​
The Macallan distillery was founded by Alexander Reid, a barley farmer and school teacher. The original name of the area was “Maghellan”, taken from the Gallic word “magh”, meaning fertile ground and “Ellan”, from the Monk St.Fillan, who held a close association with the church that stood in the grounds of The Macallan Estate until 1400.
​
The quality of the whisky is largely dependent on the quality of the oak casks it is matured in, as well as the quality of the 'new make' spirit distilled from water, yeast and barely. With up to 80% of The Macallan’s final character and flavour determined by cask quality, the oak cask is the most prominent factor in ensuring and delivering the quality and style of our single malt.
​
In 2007, a bottle of 1926 The Macallan was sold at a Christie's auction for $54,000, making it one of the most expensive bottles of whisky ever sold. In 2010, a bottle of The Macallan 64-year-old single malt whisky in a one-of-a-kind "Lalique: Cire Perdue" crystal decanter was sold for $460,000 at an auction at Sotheby's in New York City.
"Pule', Most Expensive Cheese
Selling for just under $2,000 per kilo, 'Pule' donkey cheese made on a nature reserve in Western Serbia is the world's most expensive cheese.
The donkey cheese called 'pule' is sold in small 50 gram containers at around US$ 60.00 or
Euros 50. It is very expensive because of its rarity.
​
For one kilo of cheese need about 25 litres of donkey milk. That is roughly 1000 euros worth of donkey milk. It is a very intense, rich texture and flavour. It’s white with a crumbly texture and a flavor like strong manchego.
​
There are only two places in the world that breed donkeys for milking – one of which is Simić’s nature reserve Zasavica.
Sterling Silverware
​
In the eighteenth century, silver eating utensils and serving pieces were popular in Europe and America for those who could afford them. Gorham Manufacturing Company began making table silver in the United States in 1831. Each piece was hand-forged, and two men could produce two dozen pieces a day.
​
Sterling silver dinnerware has a prestigious history, and sterling silver flatware is crucial to an antique sterling silver set. Beyond the use at the dinner table, the shape and beauty of sterling silver flatware, they are collectibles that can be very valuable. Typically, sterling silver flatware is passed down from generation to generation in families, or they can sometimes be purchased from an antique seller or buyer.
​
In many countries around the world, sterling silver flatware is associated with elegance, and sometimes even royalty. For many years, sterling silver flatware was considered essential to setting the table at a formal event.
​
A 142-piece silver-plated flatware set includes service for 12 guests and comes with a chest. It contains 12 Dinner Forks, 12 Dinner Knives, 12 Tablespoons, 12 Dessert Spoons, 12 Dessert Forks, 12 Dessert Knives, 12 After Dinner Teaspoons, 12 Espresso Spoons, 12 Fish Forks, 12 Fish Knives, 1 Butter Spreader, 12 Cake Forks, 1 Soup Ladle, 1 Serving Spoon, 1 Serving Fork, 1 Rice Ladle, 1 Cake/Multi Server and 1 Cheese Knife. The Storage Chest combines form and function and is designed to hold 142 pieces of flatware in four drawers. The chest, beautiful enough to leave on display, has a walnut wood exterior and is lined in anti-tarnish cloth to protect silver from oxidation.
​
​
Scotch Whisky
Aqua vitae, Latin for 'the water of life'. The same name in Scottish Gaelic is 'uisge-beatha", from which the word whisky was derived.
Whether it is spelled ‘whisky’ or ‘whiskey’ usually depends on where it was made. In Scotland, Canada, Japan and other parts of the world, it is spelled without the ‘e’, while American and Irish whiskeys are more commonly spelled with an ‘e’.
​
In its broadest definition, 'whisky' is a drink distilled from the fermentation of malt. Malt is any grain that has been allowed to germinate, particularly barley or rye, and then dried. The process by which it is made is called 'malting'.
A Scotch Whisky must be made from malted barley or grain with the spirit aged in oak casks no bigger than 700 liters for no less than three years. Scotch whisky of one type or another is made all over the world, but to be called Scotch Whisky it must be made entirely in Scotland.
Noritake, Japan's Fine Porcelain
​
Since 1904, Noritake has been bringing beauty and quality to dining tables around the world. Superior artistry and craftsmanship, attention to detail and uncompromising commitment to quality have made Noritake an international trademark during this past century.
The Noritake of today grew out of a trading company that was originally established by the Morimura Brothers in New York in 1876. This trading company imported chinaware, curios, paper lanterns and other gift items.
In 1904, the forerunner of the Noritake Company was established in the village of Noritake, a small suburb near Nagoya, Japan. The goal of this first factory was to create western style dinnerware for export. It took until 1914, however, to create the first porcelain dinnerware plate that was suitable for export.
The earliest dinnerware plates were mostly hand-painted, often with liberal applications of gold. By the early 1920's, Noritake introduced assembly line techniques which allowed for mass production of high quality, yet affordable dinnerware. In the ensuing decades, Noritake continued to perfect its production capabilities and expand to markets world-wide.
Caviar, Roe
Caviar, the eggs, or roe, of sturgeon preserved with salt. It is prepared by removing the egg masses from freshly caught fish and passing them carefully through a fine-mesh screen to separate the eggs and remove any extraneous bits of tissue and fat. At the same time,
4–6 percent salt is added to preserve the eggs and bring out the flavour. In Iran, borax is used in addition to salt. The better grades of caviar are classified malossol, a derivative of malosol, the Russian word for “lightly salted.” Fresh caviar must be stored at temperatures between 32 and 45 °F (0 and 7 °C) or it deteriorates rapidly; for better storage it is pasteurized. Most true caviar is produced in Russia and Iran, from fish taken from the Caspian and Black seas.
Brioni, Roma
In 1959, Nazareno Fonticoli - one of Brioni's founders and among Romes's most renowned tailors - and his business partner Gaetano Savini pioneered the idea of Pre-a-Couture.
​
Bespoke, Exclusive Fabrics
​
Under the guidance of an expert in-house tailor, clients have the opportunity to dictate every fundamental detail of their garment's architecture, select each element, from fabric, to the cut, style, and shape, to the buttons, lapel and lining.
​
Brioni tailors artistry is imbued in all the unseen detail that distinguish Brioni garments.
​
From the initial cutting to the final ironing phases. Every suit requires 220 steps and more than
22 hours of workmanship. Each suit has more than 6,000 meticulously hidden stitches made by hand.
​
​
​
​
Cognac must be made in the Cognac region of France,
while brandy can be made anywhere in the world.
Both are made from grapes, and actually come from white wine.
​
Cognac is one of the oldest spirits in the world.
A5 Wagyu Steak
From the Japanese wagyu,
from wa "Japan, Japanese + gyu "cattle, cow".
​
Wagyu were developed in Japan in the late 1800s to 1910 by crossbreeding native cattle with European breeds.
​
The average price right now is around $ 250 per pound. That's about $15 per ounce. The average steak is about 225 grams or 7.9 ounces, putting the average
A5 wagyu steak price at $ 118 unprepared.
