Big red robe on the cliff
Name of tea: Dahongpao
Type: Oolong tea
Origin: Wuyi Mountain, Fujian province
Dahongpao has impeccable charm, not least from the fascinating story behind the name. This oolong tea comes from the rugged Wuyi Mountain in Fujian province, where it grows hanging to cliff sides.
Legend has it that a young scholar on his way to the imperial civil examinations fell ill suddenly and collapsed near a temple on the mountain. Monks there attended to him and gave him tea which revived him. He recovered and went on to excel in the tests.
When he returned to Fujian as a high-ranking official, he threw his bright red new court robes over the tea tree as a gesture of gratitude, thus earning the plant its name.
Indeed, the tea is credited with repelling chills from the body and to warm it. It also works to contain queasy tummies and traditional Chinese medicine has long used it to treat chronic stomach ailments.
It’s one of the best oolongs and very typical of the semi-fermented teas.
The tea leaves are corded, resembling dragons in miniature, with faint streaks of red and yellow. The “little dragons” work wonders, giving Dahongpao a layered depth from the first cup to the eighth.
The very first cup is toasty, reminiscent of baking dough and the smell of stove firewood. That first fragrance is aggressive, and is aptly named “fragrance of fire”.
With the addition of the second brew of boiling water, Dahongpao develops a floral accent, a distinct perfume of orchids. In fact, connoisseurs are reminded of the rare cliffside orchids that grow near the parent plants. That is the fragrance that comes from the stir-frying process in the tea making.
By the third cup, the tea is stripped down to its natural flavor, or “natural charms” in the specialist jargon. The top note is a waking bitterness that stings the taste buds, getting stronger before the sweet aftertaste comes along as the mouth reacts.
Unlike less tenacious teas that lose all their flavors by the second or third brewing, Dahongpao can stand at least eight rounds of boiling water and still yield its distinct aroma.
It is a tea with character, and its character reacts to heat, giving off a particular scent that changes when it is scalding hot, another when it’s lukewarm, and still another which lingers in the cup even after the drink is done. It is rich magic, like life.
Tea masters compare the Dahongpao to a seasoned man, who has seen the vicissitudes and reflected on his past. There are bitterness, heat, floral highlights and a bouquet that is mellow and sweet.
You should drink it on its own, with company, in humid weather and cold, in the afternoon and the depth of night. It is the perfect companion when you want to be alone with your thoughts, and a pot.