Da Hong Pao Wuyi Rock Oolong Tea

Da Hong Pao Wuyi Rock is a famous rock oolong produced in the mountainous area of the Wuyi Mountains that owes its name to an ancient legend related to its origins. The story goes that the infusion of the leaves of this oolong cured a serious illness of the emperor’s wife.To honor these plants, the emperor had them covered with a large red robe, which, in Chinese, translates precisely to Da Hong Pao. The cultivar from which this precious oolong is made is called Qidan, and there are very few original trees of this variety growing on the famous rocky soil of the Wuyi Mountains. This tea, in fact, is not one of the cheapest on the market but its fame and flavors still make it very popular, so much so that there are often those who sell rock oolong calling it Da Hong Pao even though it does not come from the famous original plants but is a kind of blend of leaves that recreates the Da Hong Pao flavor. The typical minerality of this oolong, given the rocky soil on which it grows, is well discernible in the taste of Da Hong Pao Wuyi Rock, along with the charcoal and nutty notes from the intense roasting process that the leaves undergo during the latter part of processing.

Tasting – Sight and smell

The leaves of Da Hong Pao Wuyi Rock are large, long and delicately rolled. They have a deep brown almost black color and coppery shades. Once infused it gives off rather intense floral aromas of orchid and white flowers, light notes of charcoal and cocoa, and a hint reminiscent of black rye bread. In the cup it is a beautiful amber orange: the body is enveloping with just a slight hint of astringency on the finish.

Tasting Notes

GONG FU CHA

The first infusion of Da Hong Pao Wuyi Rock is surprisingly floral: a real bouquet of magnolia, orchid and aquatic flowers. There is a good minerality, with the sweet taste initially felt on the tip of the tongue turning into a pleasant savoriness. There are also interesting sweet notes reminiscent of tropical fruits (mango, papaya). Even with the second infusion the floral notes remain the predominant ones, accompanied by the sweetness of caramel and hints of slightly roasted almonds. The third and subsequent infusions give increasingly intense sugary notes, so much so that the taste is reminiscent of an almond brittle.

WESTERN

The first sip of Da Hong Pao Wuyi Rock is an explosion of white flowers and orchid: later there are hints of sweet, almost vanilla cocoa and mineral notes of wet rock, though very gentle. There is an underlying fruity sweetness and vague hints of caramelized nuts. The persistence is sweet and floral: only on the finish does a slight astringency appear, but it does not detract from the tea’s pleasantness.

Place of origin

Wuyi Shan, Fujian – China

Production

After harvesting, the leaves wither in the sun for some time before moving to a resting phase on bamboo trays under cover. From here, oxidation is initiated by manual massaging of the leaf, which is performed by the master brewer. Once the tea reaches the desired level of oxidation (here there is approximately 75% oxidation) the leaves pass into a charcoal-heated kiln where enzymatic activity is stopped. After this stage in the kiln, the leaf is given its final shape by special machinery before moving on to the leaf roasting cycles, which allow the product to finish drying and enhance its flavors.

How to prepare

We strongly recommend infusing Da Hong Pao Wuyi Rock tea in the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to better enjoy these leaves. Following this preparation you can use 6 grams of leaves (about 4 teaspoons) in a gaiwan of about 100 ml to obtain more infusions with different flavors. After a quick rinse of the leaves in water at 100°C, an initial infusion of 5 seconds can be made, after which, keeping the water at the same temperature, the time can be increased each time by 10 seconds compared to the previous infusion (5 – 15 – 25 …).

This tea has a longevity of about 7 brewings.

To prepare the tea in the western style we suggest 3 grams of leaves (about 2 teaspoons) in a 150 ml cup with 100°C water for a steeping time of one minute and a half.

The tea can be filtered for greater ease at the moment of tasting, and also the infusion times indicated above are intended to be purely indicative, so you can also adjust according to your personal taste.

It is recommended to store Da Hong Pao Wuyi Rock tea in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

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