Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
This wuyi Da Hong Pao Teavivre provides will be a perfect choice for people who want to discover Wuyi Rock Da Hong Pao teas or for oolong lovers that want to find a Da Hong Pao for their daily teas. The tea presents characteristic such as its high and long lasted floral fragrance, smooth, rich, sweet and refreshing aftertaste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is such a lovely tea to be sipping right now: It is so cold and wet outside, the kind of cold that gets into your bones and hangs in there, and it seems no matter what you do you just can’t get rid of that cold feeling!
Tea to the rescue! This Wuyi Da Hong Pao Oolong to be specific. The flavor is so warm with its toasty character that it seems to get right to that chill and warms me up.
The first couple of sips, I noticed a distinct mineral-y kind of tone, together with the warm, toasty, almost charcoal-y kind of flavor. The mineral note and the charcoal note seem to go together seamlessly. There is an undertone of sweetness that is honey-esque, but it is quite delicate, especially in these first two infusions. There are also intriguing floral tones that almost seem like they don’t belong there, given the sort of rugged, roasty-toasty, mineral-y kind of flavors that met me at the introduction. But these floral notes are so delightful, you want them at the party, even if they don’t seem to fit in quite so well at the beginning.
In subsequent infusions, I found that the mineral/charcoal tones seemed to soften as the floral notes began to emerge, and the honey-esque tone united with the flowery flavors so deliciously. I found that with each new cup of this tea, new flavors were just waiting to be discovered. As the mineral-y notes began to wane, I found that the background notes began to take on a more “woodsy” kind of flavor, deep and oaken, and this note seemed to add to the overall warmth of the cup. I love that this tea stood up for a good eight infusions, making this a lovely cold autumn’s evening tea for me.
But then, Teavivre has never failed to provide me with just what I need when it comes to incredible flavor and quality. They are one of the best, in my opinion!
Qiyuan Jin Jiang Da Hong Pao from Tea Valley
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tea Valley
Product Description:
A “Jin Jiang” (gold award) winner in the prestigious 2008 Wuyi Mountain People’s Choice Tea Competition, this Da Hong Pao is nothing short of excellent.
The aroma of the Jin Jiang Da Ho Pao can be described as roasted and smoky; a tease of the tea’s true potential. A pour of boiling water reveals a delightfully sweet aroma that will permeates through its immediate surroundings. The brew delivers a full body flavor with the perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness. One sip and it is obvious why this is such a prized Da Hong Pao.
While the Jin Jiang Da Hong Pao’s flavors remain complex, the brew is more temperate compared to the Dao Tian Da Hong Pao; a characteristic that is more commonly preferred.
Taster’s Review:
This is a really lovely Da Hong Pao – lots of flavor! It’s actually fairly mild to some of the Da Hong Pao teas I’ve tried in the past, but it still has the distinct flavors I look for in this type of Oolong.
What I like about this Oolong, in particular, is that the smoky tone is not as dominate as in other Da Hong Pao. For those of you who are familiar with my tea writings, you know that smoky tones are not always my favorite quality about a tea. I like that while the smoky tones are indeed a part of this cup, they are not as powerful as I might have expected.
The sip begins with a hint of smoke hitting my palate, along with a subtle sweetness that it brings. The tea has an intense amount of flavor, with a woodsy flavor in the background. The smokiness and woodsy tones give this tea a very rustic kind of taste.
The sweetness is very nice, with hints of flower and roasted fruit. There is a hint of spice and even the softest sour note that comes in about mid-sip, a very subtle hint but it’s there, offering contrast to the sweetness and giving this tea a very well-rounded, palate-pleasing kind of flavor.
It has a flavor to it that is very autumnal to me, with the roasted, smoky tones and warm fruit notes.
Tea Valley is a wonderful tea company that started out right about the same time that we – the SororiTea Sisters – started this blog. I remember perusing their website back then, and I must say that they’ve come a long way since then, adding some great new teas along the way.
Da Hong Pao from Harney & Sons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Product Description:
This wonderful tea is produced from plants grown from the famous 3 tea plants. Its large leaves are about 40% oxidized and have a warm, toasty flavor, & the leaves can be brewed several times. Origin: China
Taster’s Review:
I previously reviewed this tea, but since I received a package of it in the Oolong October Steepster Select box, I decided to revisit it. Since the time of that review, I have really become fond of this Da Hong Pao!
The complexity of this Oolong is amazing. In my aforementioned previous review, I mentioned a flavor that evokes thoughts of roasted peaches… and while that flavor is still present, I am also noticing an apple-like flavor, a sweet apple taste with a hint of sour.
The smokiness is there, however, either my taste buds have just become more accustomed to the smoky tones in some teas, or it is simply less prominent than I recall noticing with Red Robe Oolongs such as this one.
Another fabulous Oolong, thanks to the Steepster Select program!