Last night I was grumpy after getting a notice from my Landlord that the rent is going up. I can’t lie, I’m glad I am all stocked up on tea for a while, because my tea budget is about to go down. Having a bit of disposable income was fun, but living in San Francisco is challenging me at the moment.
Anyway, wuyi oolongs are some of my favorite, so i thought I would have this today. Da Hong Pao means “Big Red Robe” in Chinese
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da_Hong_Pao
I have a few wu yi teas but the description of this just intrigued me. Right after steeping, the dark thick leaves have a roasted coffee like aroma, due to the fact that the leaves are roasted over charcoal.
The tea liquor is a very light reddish brown. At first sip it seems almost unassuming, but as the tea settles onto your palette, amazing flavors of charcoal and plums appear, with a sweet, lingering finish like that of brown sugar or caramel. This tea is memorable, it really stays with you for a while. I had two steeps of it at work the other day and was very impressed with it.
I had a second steep with slightly less hot water. An aroma of molasses and caramel wafted up into the air. This cup has a bit more mineral flavor but still has the essence of plum and a slight burnt sugar sweetness. Utterly charming.
Me and the BF both really like Dong Ha Pao, and I believe it will keep well so I’m not regretting this one at all, just savoring it happily…
