Description

We could write many pages dedicated to this incredible tea, but it is enough for us to know that Dahongpao or big red robe, is probably the most famous oolong tea from Wuyi and all of China, an iconic timeless classic. Like all classics over the centuries it has undergone evolutions and falsifications and since ancient times has been presented either in the form of a pure single cultivar, Qidan or Queshe, which both seems to derive from the historic and ancient Dahongpao plants, or in the form of a blend that somehow had to imitate the rich and aromatic scent of the original plants, the blend historically being made with other cultivars including Rougui and Shuixian.
\nBeidou, on the other hand, is the name of a different cultivar, also derived from clones of the ancient Dahongpao plants, but with distinctive characteristics that are milder compared to the original Qidan-based version.
\nDahongpao from Qidan cultivar is a tea that can never be missed, it has a rich and round body, incredibly velvety, hints of rosewood, gooseberry and sweet wood. The degree of roasting can vary according to family style but is usually never over-roasted as it should emphasise the almost sparkling mineral and umami notes of the body without covering the floral and malty aromas. A tea that can stand numerous infusions and is always different and eccentric.
\nIn its blended version of Rougui and Shuixian, which in our case is also pressed into a beautiful cake and matured for over 12 years, the body is even more structured and mineral, almost sparkling in the centre of the tongue. The woody and warm, resinous and incense scents are more intense.
\nThe Beidou version is less suitable for numerous infusions but gives its best in the first brew, with notes of pastry, cooked butter and yellow tropical fruits such as mango and papaya. Suitable for those encountering these teas for the first time or for those who prefer aromatic complexity to body.
\nWe recommend 80-130 ml teapots or gaiwans for 3-5 g of leaves, 90-95°C and infusions of 30 to 50 seconds.