Summary[]
Da Hong PaoDa Hong Pao tea is one of the four most famous Wu Yi rock teas. Among these teas, Da Hong Pao tea has the best reputation, and it is considered as the highest grade of Chinese Oolong tea. The original Da Hong Pao tea is made from the tea plants which grow in a cliff in Wu Yi Mountains. The tea water of Da Hong Pao possesses the same delicate fragrance as green tea and is tasted mellow like black tea. Because of the scarcity, in Song Dynasty, the Da Hong Pao and the other three famous teas - the Tie Lo Han, the White comb, and the water beetles were called the Wu Yi four famous firs together.
Other names: Big Red Robe
The origin of the name[]
Da Hong Paoo tea is so called because of an interesting history. In Ming Dynasty Hongwu 18 years (1385), Fujian Juren (a provincial graduate) Ding xian went to Beijing for the imperial examinations. When he passed by the Wuyi Mountains, he suddenly got an unbearable pain in the stomach. At this time, he met a Buddhist monk from Tianxin Yongle Temple. The monk took out if the scare Da Hong Pao tea and made a cup of tea for him. After drinking, the pain was missing. Sitting the champion, Ding xian went back to thank the monk and took the Da Hong Pao tea in tin cans back to the capital — Beijing. When he arrived at the capital, Fujian Jurenheard the queen was ill and all the imperial doctors had no method to cure her. He took out the pot of tea to the empress. The empress kept drinking and recovered gradually. Hearing this, the emperor was very happy. He awarded a red robe to the tea tree and sent the champion back to the Kowloon ke to put the robe on the tree. After that, the emperor sent some guards to look after the trees and pluck the tea leaves. Since then, all the teas were just provided to the royals to enjoy and forbidden for private use. It’s said annually the officials sent by the empire wore the red robe and took off it to put on the trees. So we now call it Red robe tea (also Da Hong Pao in Chinese).
Production Area[]
Da Hong Pao tea is mainly produced in Wuyi Mountains located in the southeast of Fujian province. Here is one place of the famous production areas of Chinese teas. And Da Hong Pao grown in the Kowloon Ke’s cliff of Wuyi Mountains is called the parent Da Hong Pao. Its output is less than 500 gram annually. So the price is expensive and it is not generally on sale in market. Location of Mount Wuyi in China
Processing technology[]
The collection and processing of Da Hong Pao tea are very sophisticated. Every spring, 3-4 new leaf shoots are picked. Through sunning dry, cooling blue, doing green, fried, first rubbing, re-fried, re-rubbing, water baking, toss sorting, cooling, sorting tick, re-baking, re-toss sorting, re-drying and so on process, the final product teas are made.
Brief Health Info[]
1 Improvement on immunity: The tea can improve the CONA to stimulate spleen lymphocyte proliferation response, increasing the body's resistance.
2 Anti-aging: The tea contains tea polyphenols. It can improve the vitality of the whole blood (GSH-PX). It is of benefit in clearing the free radicals and reducing body damage, thereby delay the aging of human body.
3 Effect on weight and beauty: The tea can reduce the blood lipid, cholesterol and tri-glyceride content. It is also helpful to promote the activity of the pancreatic lipase and inhibit the increase of neutral fat.
4 Dental health care: The fluoride content in tea is 27.3-146.6 PPM. The appropriate fluoride can prevent tooth decay and enhance their tenacity.
Brewing method[]
In order to taste the Da Hong Pao tea well, we advise to follow the process of tasting congou tea, which is using small pot and cup to drink carefully and slowly, so that you can really feel the flavor of yamcha.
More info about brewing method.
Tea storage[]
It is best not to use glass jars, porcelain pots, boxes or medical bottles to preserve Da Hong Pao tea, as these these containers have some shortcomings: fragile, allowing light to affect the tea, and not moisture-proof. It is recommended to use dry jar or refrigerator to protect the tea.
The Wikipedia page [1].