Da Hong Pao
Da Hong Pao
Da Hong Pao
Fujian · China

Da Hong Pao

Big Red Robe

Wuyi rock tea known as the 'King of Tea'.

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About

The most famous of the Wuyi rock teas, this heavily oxidised oolong tea has incredible wood and mineral character.

Da Hong Pao, or Big Red Robe, is a roasted oolong from the Wuyi Mountains in northern Fujian, the most famous of the teas grown there. Wuyi oolongs are called yancha, or rock tea, after the mineral-rich cliffs the bushes grow among – a terroir said to give the tea a distinct minerality growers call yan yun, "rock rhyme."

The leaves are heavily oxidised and then charcoal-roasted, which is what gives the tea its dark colour and its toasted, woody depth rather than the floral lightness of a greener oolong.

The meaning of "Big Red Robe" comes from a legend in which the tea cured an emperor's mother, and silk robes were hung over the tea bushes in thanks. The handful of original bushes still growing on the originating Wuyi cliff and are no longer harvested; the last pluck from these bushes were placed in a museum. Every Da Hong Pao sold today, including this one, comes from cuttings and related Wuyi cultivars.

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Da Hong Pao

Da Hong Pao

Tasting

Leaf

Dark, wiry, twisted leaves in near-black brown with reddish edges, long and open rather than rolled.

Aroma

Roasted and woody, with a sweet, toasted edge.

Liquor

Deep amber-brown and clear. Roasted and mineral, with notes of toasted wood and dark stone fruit, and a long, dry finish.

Profile
Tea Type Oolong
Processing Roasted
Caffeine Medium
Perfect For Afternoon
Milk Option Traditionally milk is not added.
Preparation

How to brew Da Hong Pao

Da Hong Pao is heavily oxidised and charcoal-roasted, so it can happily take near-boiling water at 95°C. However, steep it too long and the toasted, woody notes turn bitter and flatten the sweetness underneath. Keep the first infusion to around three minutes and let the leaf open over several steeps, where the roast settles back and the mineral, fruit and dark-sugar notes come forward.

Temperature 95°C / 203°F
Measure 3g per 250ml
Steep Time 3-5 min
Infusions 2-3
Brewer's Note

Da Hong Pao is a rich, flavourful tea and can be steeped multiple times even when brewed western style. A modern trend is to use as the base in tea latte - steep this tea for a little longer if adding milk as it will dilute the flavour.

Temperature 95°C / 203°F
Measure 5g per 100ml
Steep Time 20s, increasing by 10s per steep
Infusions 5-7
Brewer's Note

Da Hong Pao is an excellent choice for gong fu brewing as it will reveal its rock terroir character over multiple steeps. Experiment with your brewing interval and temperature to discover different flavours in this complex tea.

Origin

Fujian

Elevation ▲ 300-1500m
Country China

Fujian sits on China's subtropical southeast coast, where a warm, humid climate and a mountainous, high-rainfall interior suit the tea plant well. Steep, mineral-rich hillsides are why the province grows such a range of styles and tea processing was mastered here long ago.

Fujian is home of white tea, grown mainly in the northern counties of Fuding and Zhenghe, where Silver Needle is made from unopened buds. As well as being home to two distinct schools of oolong: the heavily roasted rock oolongs (yancha) of the Wuyi Mountains in the north, and the greener, more floral Tie Guan Yin of Anxi in the south.

Fujian is also widely regarded as the birthplace of black tea – Lapsang Souchong, first made in the Wuyi area in the 1600s, was the original, and the model for the black teas later grown across India and Sri Lanka.