Adding new Teas - Oolong, Da Hong Pao

We're adding Da Hong Pao to our Tea Menu. We already have a good selection of Oolongs, a category that pleases just about everyone. They're a wonderful accompaniment to food, soothing, uplifting and have an impressive variety. We carry both China and Formosa Oolongs:

Ti Kwan Yin, both conventional and Organic
Wu Yi - smoky, long, curled - true to the translation of the word, Black Dragon
Milk Oolong - from our Reserve list
Formosa - our basic grade from this region
Oriental Beauty - White Tip Amber Oolong, also known as Bai Hao Oolong or Grand Oolong Fancy
Jade Oolong

Today we re-sampled Da Hong Pao and it fits beautifully into our catalogue - pleasantly toasty, milder than the stronger, earthier Wu Yi with a slight sweetness to the finish. This is a twisted leaf compared to the rolled leaf style of Ti Kwan Yin or Jade Oolong. It's traditionally about 40% oxidized and it easily withstands multiple infusions.

For our customers who appreciate the nuances and changes in both cup and leaf style, we think the addition of Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe), one of China's 50 famous teas will be welcomed. Legend has it that an Emperor in the Ming Dynasty was greatly helped by this tea and in gratitude, he sent big red robes to cover the tea bushes from which these leaves came.

Magical Silver Tips

Silver tips—that magical fragrance wafts up the moment one opens the tin. A 5-minute steep renders a delectable liquor with a very delicate and subtle lingering aftertaste that plays in the nostrils. Ah! But don't stop there! Don't toss the leaves after just one steep—they can be steeped again.

Or, what I prefer is to set a 2-cup pot; I pour the first cup at 5 minutes; the second at 20 minutes or so. The second cup does well with a teaspoon of Turbinado sugar to offset a hint of astringency and bitterness (which is not there at all in the first pour); what a delightful nectar that second cup becomes!

Note: this tea is impossible to measure with a teaspoon—the long needles leave lots of space between them—so I use a digital scale (they can be found cheaply online—and make for very accurate "dosing"). For my two-cup pot, I use 5 grams of tea—and I pour boiling water into the pot *without preheating the pot*—that is so that the water cools off a bit; then I add the tea. (It is said that white tea should be steeped at a lower temp—like 185° F).

Note 2: I thought that probably white tea would be lower in caffeine, since the flavor is so delicate—not so! Though this tea would not take milk well, and sugar only on a very long steep, it does carry a full quota of caffeine (in addition to all the antioxidants and other good things that white tea is known to provide). A little research online suggests that the fresh shoots on the tea plant have the greatest concentration of caffeine—my experience with this tea corroborates this—silver tips are the new leaves just grown on the tips of the tea plant.

Wonderful detailed description - will help other customers. Thank you for the details on steeping and appreciation of the tea.

Delightful aroma of chestnuts

The characteristic flat, sword like leaves of this tea made it impossible to use my Silver Tips perfect cup of tea spoon to measure it! When I simply used my fingers I was rewarded with the unique silky feel of the leaves! Also, I had read reviews of Dragonwell that used the descriptive “chestnuts.” Indeed, on the first steep the aroma of roasted chestnuts wafted up. A double delight. As noted, you can brew this in the traditional Chinese method of multiple short steeps. (This makes the tea very economical!). Dragonwell is one of those teas whose prices can be astronomical. I’m not a conneisieur but I hightly recommend this tea!.

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Adding new Teas - Oolong, Da Hong Pao

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