Da Hong Pao Special Big Red Robe

Da Hong Pao Special Big Red Robe is a traditional, superfine Teji grade Banyan Wuyi Rock Oolong from Fujian Province. The dark leaves produce an amber liquor that has a smooth, roasted and stony flavour with long-lasting sweet notes of exotic flowers.

Brewing guide: 2.5g in 250ml water at 90°C for 3-4 minutes

£4.30£15.00

(10-50g)

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Origin:Banyan (半岩), Fujian Province
Elevation:Wuyi Shan (武夷山), ~600m
Cultivar:Wuyi Da Hong Pao Blend (武夷山大紅袍)
Harvest time:April 2023
Sourcing:Specialist Chinese Wholesaler

Description

Da Hong Pao (大紅袍) is a high grade Banyan Wuyi Rock oolong from Fujian Province in China. Da Hong Pao is also commonly known as Big Red Robe in English. This is an expertly roasted tea that is bursting with traditional roasted flavours and subtle sweet notes of exotic flowers that compliment the mineral, stony character. It is a half-rock tea from Banyan, located just outside of the Wuyi Shan National Reserve area. This particular lot is a blend of Wuyi cultivars that was harvested and processed in late April 2023.

This Da Hong Pao is a ‘Special’ version of our Big Red Robe oolong. In our case this refers to a ‘superfine’ grade (Teji 特级). We also stock a ‘Classic’ version of our Big Red Robe oolong, which is a ‘fine’ grade (Gaoji 高级) tea also from Banyan. If you are looking for Da Hong Pao from the core Zhengyan area, please have a look at our pure Qi Dan and pure Bei Dou versions.

The Da Hong Pao name can refer both to a style of tea as well as a tea made from a specific cultivar. When referred to a style of tea, this is a reference to a blended tea that must nevertheless represent the classic character and flavour famously found in Wuyi Rock teas. The blend is normally made up of leaves from Rou Gui and Shui Xian plants with optional addition of other cultivars (Qi Dan, Bei Dou, Que She) to further improve the aromatic aspect of the blend. If the name is used to refer to a specific tea, this means that the reference is made to a tea made exclusively from the leaves of either the Qi Dan or Bei Dou cultivar plants. The vast majority of Da Hong Pao on the market will be a blended tea and the choice between a pure single cultivar or a blended tea is one of taste depending on quality, processing and personal taste preference.

Wuyi Shan has three main areas of tea production. The main core area is known as Zhengyan (正岩), while the two peripheral areas are known as Banyan (半岩) and Zhoucha (洲茶). This lot comes from tea plants grown on the periphery of Wuyi Shan in Banyan, rather than in the core production area. The teas from Banyan (sometimes Danyan) are also known as half-rock teas and they closely match the quality of the core area Zhengyan teas. They represent a great combination of value and tradition; they utilise the correct cultivars and processing as well as a terroir that is closely matched to the core production area while still providing excellent value.

This Special version of our Da Hong Pao undergoes a more masterful blending and lengthier roasting from higher grade leaves when compared to our Classic version. It creates a wonderfully articulate tea that has a distinctive profile with a classic ‘Wuyi Rock’ character. The leaves are slowly baked during processing resulting in a ‘roasted’ or ‘charcoal’ character. This quality does diminish with time so some people prefer to slightly age their tea before brewing it. The liquor has a roasted aroma with floral hints. The taste is very long lasting and very comforting. The character is stony and mineral with a sweet aftertaste that has exotic floral notes running through it. A beautifully satisfying drink!

We suggest brewing parameters of 90°C for 3-4 minutes according to your taste, brewing 4 or more times. For best results brew gong fu style.

This Da Hong Pao Big Red Robe oolong tea was first featured in our October 2016 Curious Tea Subscription Boxes.