The World's Rarest

Matcha is booming across the globe, but only a select group will ever get to taste Japan’s purest, ceremonial-grade form of the tea, grown in Uji, near Kyoto, for centuries.

• Japan
• Food & Drink

For the last 11 years, Hilario García has been making some remarkable wines in a rather unusual way, and the results have captured the interest of wine buyers around the world.

• Spain
• Wine
• Food & Drink

A tiny organic farm in south-western Spain produces unconventional ham that sells for €4,100 (£3,600) a leg, and is recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s most expensive.

• Spain
• Food

In Myanmar, gold is so sacred that it can be found in anything from traditional medicine to face creams, and it’s sometimes even added to drinks or food.

• Burma

One of the rarest flowers in the world, the Neelakurinji blooms just once every 12 years in India’s south-western state of Kerala, when it covers the hills in a violet hue.

• Kerala

A scent with few natural analogues, orris is exceedingly rare; the fact that people continue to seek out this fragrance despite its high cost speaks to its enduring appeal.

• Tuscany

Just south of the Arctic Circle, a few dedicated Norwegians are keeping the tradition of sustainable eiderdown farming alive – and are making some of the world’s most coveted duvets.

• Norway
• Animal
• Bird
• Island
• Remote Places

On the slopes of the Himalayas, workers at the world’s first biodynamic tea farm wait patiently until the planets align to pick India’s most expensive tea.

• India
• Food & Drink