Da Hong Pao. Brief Story

Grown in the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian Province, Da Hong Pao has a unique orchid fragrance and a long-lasting sweet aftertaste. Da Hong Pao is an Oolong tea. Dry Da Hong Pao has a shape of slightly twisted strips and is green and brown in colour. After brewing, the tea becomes orange-yellow, full-bodied and bright. Da Hong Pao can retain its flavor up to nine steepings.

Legend

Da Hong Pao literally means 'Big Red Robe' in English. There are many stories about the origin of Da Hong Pao’s name. The most famous one is that a long time ago, there was a scholar, who became ill on his way to Beijing for an exam. Illness knocked him down when he arrived in Wuyishan. Luckily, a monk from 'Tian Xin Yong Le' temple passed by and served him a special tea with healing effects. The scholar felt better and continued his journey. He eventually passed the exam with the highest score and was awarded an imperial red robe. Scholar was so grateful for that healing tea, that he arrived in Wuyishan, took off his red robe and wrapped it 3 circles around the tea bush.

Price

In 2002, Da Hong Pao got world famous when 20 grams of this tea was auctioned for 22.000 USD, which was 30 times the price for its weight in gold.

The tea that was auctioned was made from leaves of the few remaining mother trees. From 2007, Wuyi governments decided to stop harvesting leaves from them, so now it is impossible for us to drink this Da Hong Pao picked from mother trees.

Thereby, the majority of Da Hong Pao on the market now are from artificially bred through the asexually produced, which maintained the characteristics of the Da Hong Pao. The price heavily depends on its quality, but it is still much cheaper than Da Hong Pao from the mother trees.

Health benefits

Da Hong Pao contains caffeine, theophylline, tea polyphenols, and flavonoids. For these reasons and others, a number of health benefits are claimed for the tea. From cosmetic effects, such as skin firmness and losing weight, to decreasing the bad effects of drinking and smoking, mitigating weariness and helping blood circulation.

The best way to brew Da Hong Pao is by using a Purple Clay Teapot and 100°C water. Purified water is considered the best choice to brew Da Hong Pao. After boiling, the water should be immediately used, in other cases it may influence the taste of the Da Hong Pao. The third and fourth steeping are considered to have the best taste.

Resources:

TeaSenz: Legend of Da Hong Pao
DHPao: What kind of tea Da Hong Pao represents?
MacroTrends

Authors:

Illustrations: Wlada Morgun

Text: Wlada Morgun