Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe), Wuyi Rock Oolong Tea, 50g

Da Hong Pao is a classic Wuyi rock tea, a style of oolong associated with the Wuyi Mountains of Fujian. It is prized for a profile that brings together roast, minerality, floral lift, and lingering sweetness in one balanced cup. 

In the cup, Da Hong Pao tends to feel structured, warming, and composed rather than aggressive. Depending on the lot and roast, it can show notes of roasted nuts, stone fruit, orchid, honey, gentle wood, and mineral undertones, with the kind of layered finish that Wuyi teas are known for. A well-made version often feels mellow and smooth, with a clear amber liquor and an aftertaste that stays.

What makes this tea distinctive is not only the roast, but the character often described as rock rhyme or yan yun — the integrated mineral, floral, and throat-coating quality associated with Wuyi rock tea. That sense of depth is part of what gives Da Hong Pao its reputation as a tea with both presence and elegance.

Taste profile

Expect a tea that is roasted, mineral, floral, and softly sweet, with notes that may suggest roasted nuts, orchid, stone fruit, honey, warm wood, and a clean mineral finish. The texture is usually smooth and rounded, while the aftertaste is long, slightly sweet, and quietly persistent.

How to brew

100ml Gaiwan
7g | 100°C | 1 min | 4 infusions

300ml Teapot
13g | 100°C | 3 mins | 2 infusions

Cold brew
15g | 1L | Refrigerated | 10-15 hrs

Da Hong Pao is especially well suited to gongfu brewing. A strong starting point is 5–7 g per 100 ml in a gaiwan or small teapot, using 95–100°C water, with a quick rinse and then short infusions beginning around 10–15 seconds, extending gradually with each steep. This style helps the tea reveal its aroma, body, and changing layers over multiple infusions.

If you prefer a simpler everyday brew, use a lower leaf ratio and keep the steep controlled rather than long and heavy. Da Hong Pao can hold many infusions; some descriptions note that it retains character through numerous steepings, which is part of its appeal in slower tea sessions.

Properties

As an oolong tea, Da Hong Pao sits between green and black tea in processing style. For a product page, the most accurate way to describe its properties is through the experience it offers: warmth, depth, aromatic complexity, and a more grounded, structured energy than fresher green teas or lighter white teas. It is especially suited to people who enjoy tea with roast, minerality, and a lingering finish rather than a very delicate or brightly vegetal profile.

Tea details

Tea type: Oolong tea
Style: Wuyi rock tea (Yan Cha)
Origin style: Traditionally associated with the Wuyi Mountains, Fujian, China
Leaf appearance: Tightly twisted or rope-like dark leaves
Liquor: Bright orange-yellow to amber
Aroma: Roasted, floral, mineral, sometimes orchid-like or honeyed
Best for: Slow tea sessions, late mornings, afternoons, and those who enjoy deeper, more structured teas with roast and minerality