Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) Wuyi Rock Oolong Tea comes out of the bag with a dried plum fragrance overlaid by the mineral-y soot of its origin. It seems to promise crimson fruit flavors like red delicious apples and heirloom tomatoes–can’t forget those are fruit, too. In the cup, the fruit gets kicked to the curb as the tea brings in golden sweet sesame to play. We’ve got that wonderful Wuyi nuttiness waiting to happen, but these nuts have been barely toasted, only enough to ripen their flavor but not enough to create a whole new layer in the mix.
Upon first sip, the apple from the aroma goes, “I’m still here!” A really brash kind of cup we’ve got going on, this tea wants you to pay attention to it, which it accomplishes by giving you straight up flavors. You’re picking the apples straight from the tree in some remote forest, not a manicured little orchard. And as it cools, you even get a cayenne-y flavor in there, something like paprika. Not fire-spicy, but a sweet, caressing heat. You could have so much fun with this tea, infusing it in different concentrations and varying steeping times to unlock the treasure chest of flavors.
Full review here: http://snooteablog.com/2013/07/05/snooty-tea-review-teavivre-round-2/