Tea Cultivar · Camellia sinensis var. sinensis
Da Hong Pao
- Origin
- China - Fujian (Wuyi Mountains)
- Primary use
- oolong, yancha
Overview
Da Hong Pao is the most famous of the Wuyi rock oolongs (yancha) and one of China's most legendary teas. The name refers both to a specific cultivar - propagated from six mother bushes growing on a cliff face in the Wuyi Mountains - and to the broader category of premium Wuyi rock tea. Commercial Da Hong Pao today is overwhelmingly made from cuttings of those mother bushes (Qi Dan and Bei Dou are the two main clonal lines) rather than from the original trees, which were retired from harvest in 2006.
Characteristics
A medium-leafed sinensis cultivar adapted to the mineral-rich, weathered volcanic and sandstone soils of the Wuyi cliffs. The bushes are typically grown in narrow rocky crevices and terraces, which stresses the plants and concentrates flavor - the famous 'yan yun' or 'rock rhyme.' Leaves are thick, dark green, and slightly serrated, with a leathery texture that holds up to the heavy roasting characteristic of yancha processing.
Flavor profile
A well-made Da Hong Pao shows deep roasted notes of dark caramel, baked stone fruit, cocoa, and toasted grain, layered over a distinctive mineral 'rock' character that lingers on the tongue. The liquor is amber to orange-brown, the body full and substantial, the finish long and warming with hints of dried orchid and woodsmoke. Lower-grade or over-roasted versions can taste merely charred; true cliff-grown (zhengyan) Da Hong Pao remains balanced and complex.
Where it grows
Fujian (Wuyi Mountains)