Da Hong Pao
Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe, a Wuyi rock oolong) is tea with a passport in China’s memory. The name recalls a Ming-era tale: a scholar restored by Wuyi tea, a crimson robe laid on the bushes in thanks. That story set the tone for status. Courts prized the style. Merchants carried it from Fujian’s cliffs to treaty ports. This spring 2024 lot keeps that lineage practical. Bushes grow on stone around 450 m. Roots work deep. Multi-round, even baking is confident yet restrained. Stonefruit, cocoa husk, and toasted wood show clearly, framed by clean minerality. For drinkers who want heritage with balance, this is composed, steady, and unmistakably from rock.
Cliff origins
Wuyi Shan is a UNESCO landscape of sheer walls and ravines. Mists linger each morning. Sun arrives measured, not harsh. Growth stays slow at 450 m. Leaves thicken and hold aroma. Drainage is fast on granite and sandstone. That keeps the liquor clean rather than heavy. Locals call the mineral echo yan yun, the “rock rhyme.” It feels lightly salty and cooling. It tightens the finish and focuses flavor. These cliffs shaped more than taste. Monks cultivated early plots near temples. Trackways moved tea out of the gorges. As fame grew, Da Hong Pao became a gift of respect across China.
Craft & lineage
“Da Hong Pao” today names a classical Wuyi style, not one bush. This lot leans on Beidou #1, a tea plant variety selected in Wuyi to echo the famed profile, blended with local cultivars for balance. Picking favors mature, leathery leaves. Thicker cells release aroma slowly, so flavor lasts across many cups. After withering and light edge-bruising, oxidation is guided, then heat fixes the leaf. Baking follows in several low, even passes. Each round lowers moisture and turns green notes toward nutty, cacao-like warmth. The goal is harmony. Fruit and spice lift without smoke. You taste craft choices, not roast for its own sake.
Cup character
Aroma rises quickly: warm cedar, roasted pecan, brown sugar. The first sips bring ripe stonefruit over a cocoa shell line. Mid-palate adds sandalwood and dried orange peel. Texture is smooth and quietly dense. Tannins stay fine. As the cup cools, yan yun shows as a clean, mineral echo that sharpens detail. Later pours settle into amber honey and soft spice. The profile remains stable and calm. It is easy to enjoy daily, yet focused enough for a slow session. Heritage is present in the glass as clarity and length, not heaviness.
FAQ
Why is Da Hong Pao so respected in China?
History, place, and resilience. It rose from temple gardens to court tribute, with flavors shaped by Wuyi’s cliffs. The style balances perfume, warmth, and mineral clarity.
What is the legend behind “Big Red Robe”?
A scholar regained health after drinking Wuyi tea. In gratitude, he draped a crimson robe on the mother bushes. The gesture marked honor and gave the tea its name.
What does yan yun mean in Wuyi teas?
“Rock rhyme.” A lightly salty, cooling mineral aftertaste from cliffside soils. It tightens the finish and keeps flavors precise as the cup cools.