Da Hong Pao

Extremely charcoal, roasty flavors. Strong minerality and wet rock notes.

I have had this for a while but hadn’t written about it. It is their 2019 Da Hong Pao. I really like Whispering Pines teas overall.

I prepared it Gongfu 200 F, quick rinse, then 5s, 10s, 15s, 20s, 25s. 30s, 1m. Nice aromatics of dried fruit, minerals. A delicious roasty cuppa with pleasant light spice notes, like anise, pepper, and perhaps cardamom. Lots of nice dried fruit, mainly plums, and raisins, some citrus notes. Also, lots of mineral notes.

Solid Da Hong Pao.

So now we’re back to oolongs for awhile. This is a tea I have been looking forward to reviewing. I love Wuyi rock oolongs, and Da Hong Pao, in particular, is one of my favorite teas of all time. In my opinion, this one is a stellar example of a fine Da Hong Pao.

I brewed this tea gongfu style. Following a quick rinse, I steeped approximately 6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 190 F water for 5 seconds. I followed this infusion with 10 additional infusions, with an increase of 3 seconds per infusion. Steep times for them were as follows: 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, and 35 seconds. Note that I rotated the leaves in the gaiwan after the fifth infusion.

On the initial infusion, the liquor showed a brilliant golden amber in the cup. I immediately detected the unmistakable aromas of wood, char, minerals, wet stones, mild spice, and stone fruits that I immediately associate with Wuyi oolongs. In the mouth, I discovered rich notes of mild cinnamon, wet stones, moss, wood, char, burnt sugar, brown butter, minerals, apricot, golden raisin, nectarine, and yellow plum. There was also something of a subtle creaminess that balanced some of the minerality. Subsequent infusions saw the butter, spice, and stone fruit aromas strengthen. On these infusions, I noticed the emergence of slight cardamom, anise, and black peppercorn notes, as well as an intriguing and unexpected white grape note on the finish. Infusions 5-7 saw the mineral, butter, sugar, char, spice, and stone fruit aromas and flavors become more balanced. The touch of white grape on the finish remained, accompanied by stronger presences of stone, minerals, and wood, as well as a slight vegetal taste. The later infusions saw the complex aromas and flavors slowly fade, leaving fleeting impressions of wood, wet stones, mild spices, char, and minerals underscored by a touch of vegetal flavor.

This tea is a rich, deep, and incredibly complex beauty. It really rewards a lengthy session and demands one’s full attention to understand and appreciate its finer qualities. I’m not sure if I would recommend this as a starter Da Hong Pao, but I would have no problem recommending this to established fans of Da Hong Pao and other Wuyi rock oolongs.

Dry leaf smells of green, like nature, and charcoal roast. The roast doesn’t come through to the taste of the tea at all. Steeps tasted like sweet water that was a little drying. Clean tasting.

Cold steeped for 24 hours. STRONG notes of marijuana on the nose and tongue. Creamy and smooth bitterness, far more bitter than hot steep. I cold steeped by first washing with boiling water which definitely released tannins. Very surprised by strong marijuana notes which weren’t present in hot steep.

My search for the perfect wuyi oolong may finally be over, at least for now! I’d been savoring my sample from WP for a while now and immediately ordered some during the Black Friday sale because this tea is just that good.

This is a very smooth and pleasant tasting tea. No harshness or ashy taste like wuyi oolongs often have. The roasting here is exceptionally smooth. The tea has a sweet rock flavor and a clean mineral finish. Notes of burnt sugar can be detected in later steeps.

A warm, comforting tea that’s perfect for chilly winter days.

I love being the first to review!!!

This is a beautiful tea. The long slender embers give off a raisin and stone fruit aroma. The dry leaf is so inviting. I brewed this heavy and placed the tendrils in my warmed gaiwan. I gave them a shake. The aroma wafted from my gaiwan and created an exquisite atmosphere. First, I could hint at sweet white grapes. Then, this tone deepens into a tang of smooth wet wood. Lastly, there was a background of a campfire that had been extinguished by the rain. I knew that this would be a soft roasted oolong, and that I must pay close attention to it. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The steeped leaves give off a sweet rocky scent. The liquor is a tarnished gold. This is a sweet DHP. If you are seeking a rough roasted heavy DHP, then you need look elsewhere. This brew focuses on soft, earth, and nature tones. The taste begins with forest tones. I can take in wet wood, slight earth, and reminiscence of wildflowers. Then, it becomes more rigid with shale, wet moss, and light char. The brew leaves a thick mouth coating that is sweet with minerals. This aftertaste lasts well after drinking. The flavor is packed with minerals. If a rocky waterfall had a flavor it would be this. I’ve done a lot of gorge climbing, and this reminds me of the taste from the mist off the rocks. It’s sweet, rough, and gritty. Also, this brew carries a relaxing and uplifting qi that sneaks up on you. The steeped leaves are a dark olive color that look oily in the gaiwan. I thoroughly enjoyed this session. I have been on the hunt for a perfect DHP. Although, this isn’t my fitting Big Red Robe, this is as close as I’ve ever come. I am so grateful for this brew.

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