Culture · Tea · Oolong tea (乌龙茶)
Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe)
大红袍 · Dà Hóng Páo. The prestige oolong of the Wuyi rock-tea tradition — heavily roasted, mineral, and complex, with a persistent finish sometimes described as 'rock rhyme'.
About this tea
Da Hong Pao is produced in the Wuyi Mountains (Wuyishan), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Fujian. The rocky, mineral-rich terroir of the Wuyi cliffs — known as Zhengyan ("true rock") — gives these teas their distinctive rocky minerality, called yancha (rock tea) or referred to as yanyun ("rock rhyme") when describing the persistent aftertaste.
The original Da Hong Pao mother trees — six surviving bushes on the Jiulongjian cliff face — are now state-protected relics. The last commercial auction of original-tree Da Hong Pao took place in 2006. Modern commercial Da Hong Pao is produced from clonal cultivars propagated from the mother trees and grown throughout the Zhengyan and surrounding Banyan area.
Processing includes extended oxidation (50–70%), a deep charcoal or electric roasting that can last 6–12 hours, and sometimes re-roasting in subsequent years. The result is a dark, twisted leaf producing a rich amber-red liquor. The flavour is complex: roasted grain and caramel notes upfront, with an underlying floral and fruit character, and the distinctive mineral persistence of Wuyi terroir. This is a tea that rewards slow, attentive gongfu preparation rather than quick brewing.
How to brew
Water at 95–100 °C. 8 g per 120 ml (gongfu). Rinse leaves 5 seconds; discard. First steep 30 seconds; add 10–15 seconds per subsequent infusion. Good for 7–10 infusions. A Yixing pot aged on oolong or a porcelain gaiwan are the traditional vessels.
Where to buy
- Wuyishan city tea shops — the Wuyi Palace area has reputable rock tea dealers
- Zhengyan farms in the Wuyi scenic area — some allow direct purchase with provenance certificates
- Xiamen and Fuzhou specialist oolong merchants
- Online: Tea Urchin (known for Wuyi sourcing), Bitterleaf Teas, Yunnan Sourcing