Da Hong Pao "Big Red Robe" Wu Yi Shan Rock Oolong Tea

I bought this dark roast oolong along with the light roast oolong I wrote about yesterday. It starts out smooth on the tongue and finishes on a dry, slightly bitter (but still pleasant) note. It is a solid oolong, but when it comes time to restock, I think I will stick with the light roast version.

I adore the little dark brown twisted loose tea look that this tea has. As I was brewing I imagined that each piece was a soldier who was giving the ultimate sacrifice to give my cup of tea full on flavour.

It has a beautiful dark golden hue and it smells very earthy but fresh. A dry and slightly bitter taste but very pleasing. It is smoky yet subtle and fresh, there is something magical about it’s flavour.

Simply wonderful.

I brewed this in an easy gaiwan, as so to taste the tea as is.

The smell of the dry leaves are of dark red fruits. Once rinsed they become much more present, as aromas of peaches and plums are very much present, along with some citrus (orange peels too).

First steep wasn’t too spectacular. Just like any other Da Hong Pao, but with a lot of flavorful smells going on. The second steep is very nice. You can tell the teasoup is getting a lot more full and the soup is no longer ‘watery’.

The fourth steep gives a wonderfully golden orange color. The wet leaves are very pungent by now and very full. With the longer steep of about 30 seconds, the flavor does not go too citrus-y as some Da Hong Pao can get. With the 9 Year Da Hong Pao, the high notes can reach to an almost sour level. With this one, it’s very balanced yet you can taste the sweet fruity notes very well with a more balanced woody base.

The soup gets thicker and thicker and has an amazing feel in the mouth and in the back of your throat. I can’t imagine how the soup will be in my dedicated pot. It has a light floral taste, but very very subtle. The top notes are definitely there, but just enough for you to want more.

The lid now gets a more floral and grassy smell. The tea is still going very strong on its sixth steep with no sign of stopping. As I go on with the steeps, the smell sometimes goes into my nose because it’s so pungent. I can only taste and smell plums and peaches and blood oranges. Although the thickness of the soup is thinning out.

A very enjoyable tea that I would definitely recommend. It’s in my humble opinion better than the 9 year aged one, but I still have a whole lot of samples to go through so who knows! On its own, it’s an amazing sweet little tea.

Really solid Da Hong Pao. Miles better than the cheaper “Light Roast Da Hong Pao” they offer at Yunnan Sourcing.

It tastes rich, roasty and smooth. Will do a proper tasting note sometime soon.

First time trying this tea. May become my favorite. Robust heavy smoked. 1st, 30s, 2nd 15s…