Wuyi Da Hong Pao

The dry tea smells like raisins with a hint of plum. Steeped the leaves smell like Chili, more specifically turkey chili from hormel. The taste is kind of boring, there is a little smokeyness to it with a little bit of the raisin taste. It is mostly boring to me.

I may have to write a second tasting note for this later brewed with western parameters, but I wanted to use the same method I used yesterday with Verdant’s Shui Xian Wuyi to see how it compared and the verdict is that it just doesn’t. No vanilla, no cinnamon, no wow factor.

That is not to say that this is a bad tea, it is just a much lighter wuyi, lighter than Adagio’s Wuyi Ensemble that I got to try at the Chicago store. However it was the challenge of brewing this up gong fu (that worked out favorable for their Fujian Rain, but that was dark and heavy in the western sample) and the tiny little tin that sold me (okay so we all know it was mainly the tin, I’m a sucker).

I used lots of leaf like yesterday, but instead of getting a flavor explosion I got astringency. There are some nice notes as well that come out to play in later infusions, a hint of lemon, some veg and wood and a touch of mineral sweetness. But they are all so thin feeling and the brew is rather dry. Will attempt another day and see if I can find those ripe peaches. Saving the rating till then.

Edit: Silly me this is a Da Hong Pao aka Big Red Robe, so while it’s not fair to compare to the Shui Xiang: Water Sprite, this is also no where close to the two Big Red Robes I’ve had, nope.

My boyfriend can’t be online today and, while I miss him, it gives me time to get thru these reviews.

Maestro Collection: Set 1, Tea #3

My 2nd Wu Yi. The dark leaves are loosely twisted and look like tiny pieces of raffia. This oolong grows between rocks and it even looks like it does. Something about it just says “I’ve had a tough life and I’ve faught to be here”. The aroma is dark and slightly roasty. My last Wu Yi wasn’t roasty… which is good cuz I don’t like roasty teas.

Prepared as suggested.

The liquor is a lovely reddish orange color and the aroma still contains those roasty notes although there is a sweetness to it as well.

When I take a sip I am relieved that this is not by far the most roasty tea I’ve ever had. The roastyness is present, but there’s also quite a bit of sweetness in the background to cut thru it and make this more enjoyable for me. The description says it has notes of wet stone, but as I have no idea what wet stone tastes like, I can’t tell you if it’s there or not.

Aw yeah. Talkin’ bout dat Masta Collection.

This is some black tea from the Wuyi mountains in China, and it tastes divine. You haven’t had black tea with so many flavors in it. I could sip this all night while fraggin’ and PvPin.

Adagio just released a brand new Maestro Collection on April 10th. The Maestro collection consists of 8 teas that I will be reviewing in the coming days. Read my first six reviews here: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6). This tea is an oolong tea from the Fujian province of China and comes from the Wuyi mountains surrounded by rocks.

The Nose and Color: The leaves are loosely twisted and look fully oxidized like a black tea. After steeping, the leaves really open up and reveal that the leaves aren’t too oxidized and still maintain some green and brown colors. The nose is pretty strong off the leaves but not so much off the tea itself. The most notable thing about the nose is the roasted, almost burnt, aroma.

Tasting: This tea has a strong roasted flavor to it but I detect some slight sweet notes as well which isn’t something I expected. This tea has a really unique taste that’s hard to describe. Adagio says it’s like wet stone but I liken it more to burnt stone. The taste of the tea is fairly complex and I liked it to help develop my palate.

Steep Instructions: 3 grams at 205 F for 3-4 minutes

Price: $29.00 for sampler set.

Summary: Read my rating here: http://www.indieteas.com/home/2010/4/27/tea-review-20-adagios-wuyi-da-hong-pao.html

I have these strange cycles: I drink green tea only for some time and then switch and drink blacks/dark oolongs only. Why this happens I have no idea. After drinking Japanese greens only for 3-4 months I have changed my habits yet again. The reason: Adagio’s new Master collection. After trying the samplers I was sure I would buy a larger amount but which one to choose as they all were so good?
I was torn between Golden Curls and Wuyi Da Hong Pao. Finally went with Wuyi. “Roasted vegetables” or “peach” doesn’t in my opinion describe this tea properly. It’s so complex, rich and absolutely wonderful. It certainly brightens my day. Worth every penny!

Personally I was a tad disappointed with Adagio Wuyi Da Hong Pao and personally enjoyed their cheaper Wuyi Ensemble more. Da Hong Pao is the lighter of the 2 wuyi oolongs offered by Adagio and it has a slightly fruity taste to it. The brew is still light and sweet but there is none of the rich earthy taste that goes along with a good roast to be found in this tea.

Deliciously light, slightly roasted in flavor. All around a mild tea.