Tea of the Month for December- Da Hong Pao

Da Hong Pao (or Big Red Robe) tea is a very important Wuyi Red tea. Legend has it that the mother of a Ming Dynasty emperor was cured of an illness by a certain tea, and that emperor sent great red robes to clothe the four bushes from which that tea originated. Three of these original bushes, growing on a rock on Mount Wuyi (in Fujian province) and reportedly dating to the Song Dynasty, still survive today and are highly venerated. During the Qing Dynasty, it became the "King of Tea."
At one point, less than one kilogram of tea was harvested from the aforementioned plants each year, a portion of which was retained by the Chinese government. In 2005, the remainder of this original and real Da Hong Pao was auctioned, with an initial asking price of 4000 RMB/100 g (around 500.00 dollars), but often reaching millions of dollars per kilogram. Because it is of very high quality, Da Hong Pao is usually reserved for honored guests in China.

In recent years, companies have invested in preserving the interest in this and other so-called "artisan" teas which typically are of very high quality and have rich histories. These have an initially high cost to produce (and typically are only considered authentic when grown in their place of origin), but, as they have quickly become popular in Western countries, prized selections of the tea are available each year, with quality being very consistent thanks to the increased popularity of tea.

Cuttings taken from the original plants have been used to produce similar grades of tea from genetically identical plants. Taste variations produced by processing, differences in the soil, and location of these later generation plants is used to grade the quality of various Da Hong Pao teas. The Da Hong Pao tea available in tea markets, and therefore the one I purchased, is made from tea plants which were cloned from the original "Dahongpao" plants in cliff. I don’t have that kind of tea budget!

There are also variations on this tea. One is called Xiao Hong Pao, or Small Red Robe and refers to Da Hong Pao grown from plants of fourth or greater generation, but the term is rarely used. In some cases Xiao Hong Pao is simply sold as Hong Pao.

Appearance:
It is a traditional looking Oolong tea with dark and slightly curled tea leaves up to three inches long. More accurately, the tightly twisted leaves of can be described as being greenish brown in color.

I even found some brewing instructions on the internet just for you:

Step 1 Preheat the vessel with almost boiling water. Rinse both the teacups and teapot with the hot water.

Step 2 Fill the teapot one third to half full with Da Hong Pao tea leaves.

Step 3 Push off the bubbles with the lid. Pour out the water. Add more water and cover.

Step 4 Steep the tea leaves in hot water for a minute for the first and second brewing. Increase steeping time for later brewing. Brew Da Hong Pao leaves up to 15 times before changing leaves.

Tasting notes:

According to some sources, it is a full bodied tea with a sweet aftertaste that is felt in your throat before the back of your tongue and leave a lingering pleasant floral fragrance in your mouth.

The orange tea liquid has a strong floral fragrance. Even after nine infusions, the fragrance, like sweet-scented osmanthus, still remains. After tasting, the fragrance will last in your mouth for a long time. Other tea specialist attribute coffee-like, roasted flavor with a sweet and fruity aftertaste to this aromatic Chinese oolong.

My personal observations: The liquid is a light amber color from the first pour. This gets a little darker after it sits for a bit. The first odor of the wet leaves is pretty much like sitting behind Guy Ganzeveld (may he rest in peace) after lunch in home room every day- that is, like marijuana. The taste is like other oolongs, but more roasted and much smoother- like a comparison between a cheap tequila and a really expensive one. Lovely and not so jittery for me- the caffeine content must be much lower. I paired this tea with a lovely individual sized Christmas pudding bought at Marks and Spencer’s and it was perfect complement.

Like my new teapot?? And the glass cups? They are both purchases from a fairly recent visit to the tea city. My friend and teacher A. brought me to a new tea shop within the city and introduced me to some superior sellers. I purchased three new kinds of teas (to be featured soon…) and these accessories. I love the way that you can see the tea and the color best. The cups are really cups within cups, which allow you to drink the tea while it is warm and not burn your fingers.