Tea: Wuyi Da Hong Pao

A Da Hong Pao from Harney and Sons

Picture of Wuyi Da Hong Pao
Brand:Harney and Sons
Style:Da Hong Pao
Region:Wuyi, Fujian, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Loose?Loose
# Ratings:1 View All
Product page:Wuyi Da Hong Pao

Review of Wuyi Da Hong Pao

AromaFlavorValueTotal
7 of 104 of 52 of 574 of 100
Very GoodGoodOverpriced

This tea was good, but it just didn't wow me the way I would need a tea in this price range to do in order to want to buy it.

The dry leaf smells exquisite, multifaceted, and hard to describe. Although the color is dark, the smell resembles green teas in some ways. Softly toasty and bready, hinting at floral and spicy notes. The smell suggests both sweet and savory flavors.

The cup is very pleasing, soft, middle-of-the-road for an oolong. The aroma of the cup isn't as interesting as I had hoped (and expected from the smell of the dry leaf). Tastes equally good hot or at room temperature, which was nice because I could be a bit lazy and let the cup cool. I found it tastes especially good when brewed stronger, using more leaf than I normally would, even for a Wuyi oolong.

Resteeps well, but not exceptionally for an oolong. The spent leaf after brewing looks a lot greener than the dry leaf. I found I preferred steeping only twice. The second or later infusions have a noticeably dusty aroma, suggesting clean stone or rock. There's a very natural, outdoorsy quality I find to the second steep. I also find the later steeps to be a bit more astringent.

Doesn't feel very caffeinated at all. This tea feels very neutral to me, it feels neither warming nor cooling and doesn't seem to produce much of an effect of any kind when I drink it.

Pleasant, but pleasant doesn't justify the $270 a pound price tag, when I'd actually prefer drinking any number of cheaper teas, even if they were priced equally.

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