Everything you wanted to know about Martin Shkreli’s $120 cup of tea

There won’t be cups of tea like this in prison, Martin Shkreli.

On Tuesday, an ex-Tinder flame of the 32-year-old Pharma money grubber — who raised the price of AIDS drug Daraprim from $13.50 to $750 and is now facing fraud charges — revealed he tried to woo her on a date by buying a $120 cup of tea at Michelin-starred Tribeca restaurant Brushstroke.

His date was turned off by the pricey Japanese tea and didn’t pursue another rendezvous.

But let’s focus on the real story: What makes that cup of tea worth $120?

A waiter at Brushstroke explained the 2014 Ministry of Agriculture National Tea Fair Gold Medal Sencha tea earns its price tag from its rarity: only four kilos of the tea leaves are grown in Japan each year, and little is shipped to the US.

One serving of the competition-grade tea — which often takes a decade to perfect — only equates to about one and a half cups. And steeping is a process. The leaves are added to hot water and the customer gets a taste halfway through. Then, one strong cup of the tea is served and the leaves are resteeped to make a smaller, weaker cup.

Finally, the leaves themselves are served with a side of soy sauce for the patron to snack on.

It’s a ceremonial green tea — described on the menu as “incredibly rare, smoky, highly aromatic, great power” — usually purchased by Japanese customers, the waiter said, and served on a tray with a traditional ceramic cup.

But before you grab that $120 you didn’t know how to spend and race to Brushstroke, bad news: This week they sold the last serving, and they’re not bringing the Gold Medal Sencha back.

“There’s a new selection of tea coming in tomorrow,” general manager Paul Lee says, adding the leaves will be even higher-end than the $120 brew.

Perhaps a new, $750 cup of tea just for Shkreli?

America’s most hated CEO gets what he deserves: