The dry leaf smells wonderful a big wallop of fruity spiced compote but the experience is severely disjointed and displays only some of those notes within the watery body. Wet rocks taste but not mineral with vestigial oddities that I can’t place. A strange bitter-herbaceous finish that I imagine as the taste of chomping on some water-logged thistle flowers. Flowery-plum skin aftertaste lingers and with this third steep, the brew does taste like plum but not sweet. The first steep gave a warming/cooling camphorous rush in my chest which, beyond the dry leaf aroma, is my favorite part of this tea. I’m not going to bother going beyond this third infusion.

This is a good candidate for a home re-roasting.

Flavors: Allspice, Apricot, Bitter, Blackberry, Blueberry, Camphor, Chocolate, Coffee, Flowers, Herbaceous, Honey, Peat, Plum, Raspberry, Sour, Thistle, Wet Rocks, Wet Wood

Preparation
Boiling 6 g 3 OZ / 100 ML
gmathis

Your “wet rocks but not mineral” makes me think of the way Turkey Creek smells after a flash flood :)

derk

There you go, making me miss Midwest thunderstorms. I did get to experience a hair-raising one in Florida a few weeks ago.

Natethesnake

Every da Hong pao I’ve ever tasted has reminded me of pine cones boiled in bong water. Not in an unpleasant way just weird. Goes nicely with a Szechuan hot pot but otherwise not something I crave

derk

There’s a big difference between Dahongpao that is composed of Beidou and/or Qidan cultivars compared to many that are mixes of ‘brick weed’. Lighter processing can give me that flavor reminiscent of bong water. A lot of times I pick up on cannabis in lighter roasted yancha. Darker roasts of Dahongpao made with Beidou and/or Qidan can produce some surprisingly complex and smooth teas without that funk. Some people may mention the difference between Banyan- and Zhengyan-grown teas; I don’t have enough experience comparing the two since Zhengyan teas are generally prohibitively expensive. Glad you can enjoy the funky ones.

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Comments

gmathis

Your “wet rocks but not mineral” makes me think of the way Turkey Creek smells after a flash flood :)

derk

There you go, making me miss Midwest thunderstorms. I did get to experience a hair-raising one in Florida a few weeks ago.

Natethesnake

Every da Hong pao I’ve ever tasted has reminded me of pine cones boiled in bong water. Not in an unpleasant way just weird. Goes nicely with a Szechuan hot pot but otherwise not something I crave

derk

There’s a big difference between Dahongpao that is composed of Beidou and/or Qidan cultivars compared to many that are mixes of ‘brick weed’. Lighter processing can give me that flavor reminiscent of bong water. A lot of times I pick up on cannabis in lighter roasted yancha. Darker roasts of Dahongpao made with Beidou and/or Qidan can produce some surprisingly complex and smooth teas without that funk. Some people may mention the difference between Banyan- and Zhengyan-grown teas; I don’t have enough experience comparing the two since Zhengyan teas are generally prohibitively expensive. Glad you can enjoy the funky ones.

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This place, like the rest of the internet, is dead and overrun with bots. And thus I step away.

Eventual tea farmer. If you are a tea grower, want to grow your own plants or are simply curious, please follow me so we can chat.

I most enjoy loose-leaf, unflavored teas and tisanes. Teabags have their place. Some of my favorite teas have a profound effect on mind and body rather than having a specific flavor profile. Terpene fiend.

Favorite teas generally come from China (all provinces), Taiwan, India (Nilgiri and Manipur). Frequently enjoyed though less sipped are teas from Georgia, Japan, Nepal and Darjeeling. While I’m not actively on the hunt, a goal of mine is to try tea from every country that makes it available to the North American market. This is to gain a vague understanding of how Camellia sinensis performs in different climates. I realize that borders are arbitrary and some countries are huge with many climates and tea-growing regions.

I’m convinced European countries make the best herbal teas.

Personal Rating Scale:

100-90: A tea I can lose myself into. Something about it makes me slow down and appreciate not only the tea but all of life or a moment in time. If it’s a bagged or herbal tea, it’s of standout quality in comparison to similar items.

89-80: Fits my profile well enough to buy again.

79-70: Not a preferred tea. I might buy more or try a different harvest. Would gladly have a cup if offered.

69-60: Not necessarily a bad tea but one that I won’t buy again. Would have a cup if offered.

59-1: Lacking several elements, strangely clunky, possess off flavors/aroma/texture or something about it makes me not want to finish.

Unrated: Haven’t made up my mind or some other reason. If it’s pu’er, I likely think it needs more age.

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California, USA

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