He now sells Yamato tea from his own Real Taste brand. Each bottle is priced at 10,000 yen ($66.40) or more. “I think they are appropriately priced for tea leaf producers and brewers,” Honda said.

According to the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada, the average drinker has 11 varieties in their cupboard but today, the hot new trend is luxury tea. Pu’erh tea is kind of like champagne ...