Most expensive tea sold at auction

The most expensive tea sold at auction was purchased by Janat Paris (France) for £6,237.50 and was auctioned by the tea board of Sri Lanka in Osaka, Japan, on 26 September 2025.

The tea bought was Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings Extra Special from Vithanakande Estate in Sri Lanka. It was bought for JP¥1,250,000 (the exchange in Great British Pounds being £6,237.50 that day).

This was a charity auction for the women and families of the tea-pickers in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, tea is still mainly picked by hand and according to the challenger (and the auction house - tea board of Sri Lanka) this makes it more delicious. The challenger (Janat Paris a teahouse from France) wanted their attempt to highlight the hard work of the women in Sri Lanka who work year round to pick the tea and to give better educational opportunities to their children.