Da Hong Pao tea is the most reputable tea among the four most famous Mt Wu Yi (Fujian Province) rock teas. Da Hong Pao, in Chinese literally means Big Red Robe. It is regarded as the highest grade of Chinese Oolong tea. The original Da Hong Pao tea is produced from the tea plants which grow off a rocky cliff on Wu Yi Mountains. Da Hong Pao tea possesses the same delicate fragrance as green tea and has a mellow taste.
The Name Origin
Da Hong Pao tea was named after an interesting history. In Ming Dynasty, a Fujian provincial graduate called Ding xian 18 years (1385) was on his journey to Beijing for the imperial examinations. When he passed by the Wuyi Mountains, he suddenly got an unbearable pain in the stomach and fell ill. After which he met a Buddhist monk from a nearby Temple. The monk took out the scare Da Hong Pao tea leaves and made a cup of tea for him. After drinking, the pain has subsided.
After obtaining his scholar status, Ding xian went back to thank the monk and brought along some Da Hong Pao tea back to the capital, Beijing. When he arrived at the capital, he heard the queen was ill and all the imperial doctors could not cure her pain. He brewed the Da Hong Pao tea for the empress. The empress has gradually recovered. Learning this, the emperor was very delighted. He awarded a red robe to the tea tree and sent the scholar back to Mt Wuyi to put the robe on the tree. Since then, the emperor sent some guards to look after the trees and to harvest the tea leaves for his personal consumption.
Da Hong Pao Tea Trees
Now Da Hong Pao Tea is mainly referring to the oolong tea or rock tea produced on Wuyi Mountain. The name Da Hong Pao no longer refers to the six original Da Hong Pao tea trees hanging off the cliff. All the Da Hong Pao tea trees in Wuyi Mountains are cultivated through agamogenesis from the six original Da Hong Pao trees. Now more tea lovers can afford to drink Da Hong Pao Tea due to this cultivation.
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ars ago, the six original Da Hong Pao tea trees only produced a total of 2000 grams of Da Hong Pao tea leaves each year. They were so rare in the market that a small batch of 20 grams was sold at a record high price of approximately SGD38K (RMB180K)Â in the year of 2002 in the Guangdong Trade Fair.
In 2006, the six original Da Hong Pao tea trees were insured for the amount of RMB100M; a record for the plant insurance. In the same year, to protect the six mother Da Hong Pao trees, the local government decided to stop picking the mother tea trees. The last 20 grams of Da Hong Pao tea, the very last batch picked from the original tea trees and was donated to China National Museum.
The six original Da Hong Pao tea trees are an important part of the listing of Wuyi Mountains as World Heritage, natural and cultural.
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