China Fujian Zhengyan 2014 "Da Hong Pao" Oolong Tea

Tea type
Oolong Tea
Ingredients
Oolong Tea Leaves
Flavors
Fruity, Mineral, Roasted, Roasted Nuts, Smooth, Toasty
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by eastkyteaguy
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 g 6 oz / 168 ml

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2 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Thank you Derk for this great Da Hong Pao. I began loving Jin Xuan right away but now I think I prefer a good Da Hong Pao these days. Not sure though, it’s just been a while since I drank the...” Read full tasting note
    95
  • “Trying not to turn this into a blog or muddy what I and some of you are ultimately here for – tea reviews – but I JUST CAN’T HELP IT. This Da Hong Pao is my side piece and it’s nagging at me. ...” Read full tasting note
    100

From What-Cha

A smooth tea with a nice roasted profile and thick sweet lingering mineral taste.

Tasting Notes:
- Smooth and thick texture
- Sweet roasted aroma and taste
- Lingering mineral taste

Harvest: 2014

Origin: Shui Lian Dong (Water Curtain Cave), Zhengyan, Wuyishan, Fujian, China
Sourced: Direct from the farmer

Roast: Heavy (Four times roasted in 2014)

Brewing Advice:
- Heat water to roughly 95°C/203°F
- Use 2 teaspoons per cup/small teapot
- Brew for 2-3 minutes

Packaging: Resealable ziplock bag

About What-Cha View company

Company description not available.

2 Tasting Notes

95
379 tasting notes

Thank you Derk for this great Da Hong Pao. I began loving Jin Xuan right away but now I think I prefer a good Da Hong Pao these days. Not sure though, it’s just been a while since I drank the former. I’m fickle. I just love good tea. This is a good tea, and it’s also been sold out so I’m glad that Derk sent me this sample off my wishlist!

The texture is nice, very smooth and thick as described. I prepared it as their website suggested. I should’ve done gongfu style to get a full flavor profile but either way, it’s a good one. I’ve been distracted by work and have missed some timed infusions so hence my choice for longer infusions. I did three steeps: 3m, 4m, and 5m.

It is heavily and heavenly roasted :) and it has such a wonderful sweet roasted and minerally taste along with fruits and nuts. Lately, I prefer heavily roasted teas over green teas and this was just right… Not smoky nor campfire-like but perfectly roasted and toasted.

Flavors: Fruity, Mineral, Roasted, Roasted Nuts, Smooth, Toasty

Preparation
6 g 8 OZ / 236 ML
derk

yw, Kawaii

Kawaii433

Derk, did you have a good time the other day?

derk

Yes! I left a comment on one of your other tasting notes :)

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100
1557 tasting notes

Trying not to turn this into a blog or muddy what I and some of you are ultimately here for – tea reviews – but I JUST CAN’T HELP IT. This Da Hong Pao is my side piece and it’s nagging at me. I’ve had Prince’s ‘U Got the Look’ in my head for days.

The Bay Area had a 4.4 magnitude earthquake in January. Nothing crazy but since then, chunks of grout in the shower began falling out. I can now feel every single bus and truck driving by. The pots on top of the refrigerator rattle if I don’t place them just right. Each passing multi-ton people-and-things-mover brings the long slow rumble that marked the beginning of that earthquake. Two earth-shattering jolts made this fearless woman grip the sheets in a rush of terror. That’s how you know you’re alive. This old building shakes like a skeleton… rattle them bones. Somewhere I hear a knowing laugh. The grim reaper leaves nothing behind. City neva stops. Nothing ever stops. Some things just leave a bigger impression after passing through.

Holy crap this is a complex and dynamic tea. It’s past 3am and I should probably go to bed. Long and detailed review after I rest this vessel.

Some time later…

I tried typing a detailed review but I guess I wasn’t feeling it. Here, again, I fail at providing a completely subjectively objective review.

I wrote notes of the dry, warmed and rinsed leaf, as well as leaf aroma, liquor aroma and taste for each steep but I think this tea just needs to be experienced and for you to lose yourself in it. It instantly commanded my attention and I was sunk into a session for over three hours if that gives you a generalized view of what to expect. This isn’t an everyday tea. It’s intimate.

The leaf, aroma and liquor play a deep, dark dance with a wonderful roast, various forms of chocolate, the most vibrant raspberry I’ve ever tasted, blackberry, plums and currants of all colors, minerals, various nuts both raw and roasted, sweetness ranging from honey to burnt sugar to caramel, florals like orchid, violet and lily of the valley, different grains notably roasted barley, a rye spiciness, some coffee and char, dandelion greens, lettuce, dried cilantro, sage and wood. These were all just the most apparent. There are many fleeting nuances.

The mouthfeel ranges from sweet to thick and velvety, highly mineral but never biting, lightly bitter to astringent and drying. The aroma, tastes and mouthfeel linger…long. They are dynamic and pronounced yet it seems like they are willing to make room for each successive steep.

The energy I experienced was dark yet vibrant, intense yet calm, intuitive, open, introspective. I’d like to have a session in the evening with a few good friends (or anybody, really). The ones you only get to see when events align, the physical distance closes and every time you reunite, you pick right back up. The silken thread between you never breaks. I felt strong, aware and assertive. I wanted to bare my soul. There was expansiveness and closeness, accommodation and acceptance, like there’s room for more under this big red velvet robe.

So, yeah. Whew. Powerful stuff. I’m excited to see what a few more years’ age will do.

The next day I simmered the spent leaves for 5 to 10 minutes. Ambrosia.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 g 3 OZ / 100 ML
Bluegreen

This is why I could never understand how unflappable most folks in CA are about the quakes. Stuff like that would scare the lights out of me. Repeatedly.

derk

Idk about other people, but it’s just one of those things that happens that’s outside of my control. Maybe I just accept it or maybe I have other things to distract me until the next time I feel the earth moving. I don’t know. I wonder about all the other people living along the Pacific Rim where earthquakes are frequent. East and southeast Asia, Indonesia, New Zealand, South and Central America, Alaska. What do they think? Why do they still live there?

derk

Forgot to add, for effect: https://tinyurl.com/ybl828af
It’s a safe site, just earthquake.usgs.gov but the url was looong so I used tinyurl to shorten it.

derk

After last night, I think I need to take it easy and drink some light green teas for a few days. Hello there, bi luo chun.

Bluegreen

derk, thank you for the link to the earthquake site. It is fascinating! Also, I totally agree with the magical calming properties of bi luo chun.

Kawaii433

Derk, I just had the sample you sent me of this… I really liked it. This is a great Da Hong Pao. Thank you :).

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