Spring Stir - Fried Red Robe Strong Oolong Tea With Long Lasting Taste

red robe tea

red robe tea is a very important Wuyi Oolong tea. Legend has it that the mother of a Ming Dynasty emperor was cured of an illness by a certain tea, and that emperor sent great red robes to clothe the four bushes from which that tea originated. Three of these original bushes, growing on a rock on Mount Wuyi and reportedly dating to the Song Dynasty, still survive today and are highly venerated. Less than one kilogram of tea is harvested from these plants each year, of which a portion is retained by the Chinese government. The remainder of this original and real Da Hong Pao is auctioned, with an initial asking price of 4000 RMB/100 g, but often reaching millions of dollars per kilogram. Cuttings taken from the original plants have been used to produce similar grades of tea from genetically identical plants. Taste variations produced by processing, differences in the soil, and location of these later generation plants is used to grade the quality of various Da Hong Pao teas.

It is one of the top ten Chinese teas and was once portrayed as ‘Royal tea’ as a result of its low production and rich flavor. Because it is produced in Wu Yi area’s rocky mountains, it therefore also belongs to a special group of teas called Wu Yi rock Tea. Its brew is lightly reddish brown in color. Terms used to describe its favor include fragrant, roasted, nutty and tenderly sweet, followed by a lingering after taste. A nice cup of Da Hong Pao is pure indulgence. As it's of very high quality, the Da Hong Pao is usually reserved for honored guests.

Brewing guidelines

Gaiwan or Yixing pot (120cc):5-7grams per time (based on personal taste); the water temperature should be over 98C or 209 F.

1) Warm up-First to warm up the vessels, pour out the hot water;

2) Smell dried tea fragrance-Then put the teas in the vessels, cover the Gaiwan or Yixing pot, and shake the vessels for about 3 seconds, then smell the dried tea leaves aroma.

3) Wash the tea-Pour the hot water into the vessels and pour out the water within 8 seconds;

4) First infusion-pour the hot water into the vessels again, and steep for about 10-25 seconds(based on personal taste)

5) Coming infusion- the time for the successive infusion can be 5 seconds longer than the previous infusion.

Infusion time: at least 9 times
 

Dahongpao oolong tea storage:

1. The use of drying oven storage

2. The use of hot water storage
3. Use the refrigerator storage
4. Use of tank storage