Wuyi Da Hong Pao

This famous oolong traces back to the 1500s to the Buddhist and Taoist monks in the Wuyi mountains of China, with all their majestic peaks and romantic temples. A tiny estate on a steep slope with sandy soil near a spring provides the tea bushes with morning sun but protects them with cool afternoon shade. The tender buds with red reflections thus benefit from ideal conditions, enhancing all their qualities. Legend has it that the mother of a Ming Dynasty Emperor was cured of an illness by this tea, and that Emperor sent great red robes to clothe the four bushes from which this tea originated. Three of these original bushes, growing on a rock on Mount Wuyi, still survive today and are highly venerated. These ancient plants are known to be centuries old.

The tea when prepared is copper in colour and the liquid has a luring strong floral fragrance combined with warm, roasted cacao tastes, which is creamy and sweet. The wood charcoal roasted method gives a complexity and depth to this tea and when infused the floral fragrance sustains even after six infusions. Full bodied in flavor the mouth feel has a touch of acidity and a bittersweet quality with a tail of roasted raisins. 

This legendary tea is best prepared using the Gongfu method with quick infusions ranging from 30sec to 1min.