The alchemist’s masterpiece, balancing mineral 'rock bones' with the dizzying, floral complexity of orchid and honey.
Da Hong Pao
2024
€75,00
Sale price
€75,00
Regular price
Skip to product information
Da Hong Pao
€75,00
Sale price
€75,00
Regular price
Unit price
€1.500,00/kg
A Red Robe Draped Over an Ancient Tree.
In 1385, a scholar named Ding Xian was traveling to Beijing for the imperial examination. Passing through Wuyi Mountain, he collapsed with severe abdominal pain. A monk from Tianxin Temple brewed him a tea from the cliff-side garden. The pain stopped. He passed the examination. He returned, removed his crimson ceremonial robe, and draped it over the tea trees in gratitude. The tea became Da Hong Pao, the Great Red Robe.
The emperor eventually heard the story. He sent his own red robe. He declared the tea a royal tribute. He posted guards to protect every leaf.
The trees on that cliff still exist. This is what grows in the same soil, tended by the same tradition.
The Tasting Experience
Da Hong Pao is the foundation stone of Wuyi yancha, the rock oolongs, and it carries that responsibility with the calm authority of something that has been significant for a very long time. The fragrance opens with chocolate and dried raisin, deep and sweet. Then comes ashy warmth, the spice of nutmeg and pine needle, the cool mineral thread of sandalwood and rock. Tobacco and liquorice weave through the later steeps like threads in old cloth.
The yan yun, or rock rhyme, is what distinguishes a true yancha from everything else. A mineral coolness that spreads through the back of the throat and lingers. Smooth, multilayered, entirely unhurried.
Character Mild, stable, trustworthy. A tea that feels like a wise companion.
Spiritual Character Warm and neutral.
Brewing Guide Tea-to-water ratio: 4g per 200ml Water temperature: 100°C Steeps: 10 or more
Weight: 50g | Vintage: 2023
乌龙茶 Oolong Tea
Oolong is the grand theater of the tea world, a partially fermented leaf that dances gracefully between the freshness of green tea and the depth of red tea. Through meticulous bruising, resting, and roasting, artisans coax an astonishing symphony of aromas from the leaf, evoking wild orchids, sweet honey, blooming osmanthus, toasted walnuts, and deep charcoal.
In traditional Chinese thought, Oolong possesses a perfectly neutral energy, striking a harmonious balance that makes it a grounding companion for any season. The character of Oolong is deeply tied to its homeland. Southern Fujian offers the lyrical Anxi Tieguanyin, while Northern Fujian produces the deeply mineral Wuyi Rock teas. Across the strait, Taiwan yields the creamy, mountainous Dongding and Wenshan Baozhong. Finally, Guangdong is revered for its Phoenix Dancong, a magnificent tea harvested from single, ancient tree lineages to preserve unique floral genetics.
問余何意棲碧山
Why do I live in the green mountains?
笑而不答心自閒
I laugh and answer not, my soul sereneI
唐, 李白 Tang Dynasty, Li Bai
Brewing Guide
Amount: 4g of tea leaves per 200ml vessel
Temperature: 100°C water
Time: 3 to 5 seconds for the first 7 steeps, increasing the time gracefully for subsequent infusions
Technique: Pour the water gently in a slow circle, aiming for the inner wall of your teapot to avoid bruising the leaves
Vessel: Clay Teapots, Gaiwan, Glass Teapots, or a Gongbei
Our Philosophy
We believe that a tea leaf is more than a commodity; it is a tether to a specific moment in time and space. We have traveled to the source to bring you the genuine article, leaves untainted, unforced, and full of life. When you steep these leaves, you are not simply preparing a beverage; you are unfolding a story that began in soil, sun, and rain. Let each infusion be an exploration of what it means for a leaf to be truly, perfectly itself.
The mountain buds are plucked while yet the dew remains, emerald-green, unfurling in the bowl like a forest reborn in the steam.
