Da Hong Pao 13 years — a rare guest from the Wuyi Mountains

Once in a while, a tea appears in our store that isn't part of our regular offering, yet deserves a place in your cup. Da Hong Pao (literally "Big Red Robe") is a legendary cliff oolong — a semi-fermented tea — from the Wuyi Mountains (Wuyi Shan) in China's Fujian province. This particular tea was harvested in 2006 and has since undergone a long journey of maturation: over the course of more than ten years, it was gently roasted three times and carefully stored in clean, stable conditions in between.

The result is a tea of profound complexity and strong character. In Chinese tea tradition, this is called cha qi — the energy of tea, something you feel rather than put into words.

Flavour profile

The first infusions offer an intense aroma of vanilla and roasted fruit notes. On the palate, delicate roastiness, vanilla sweetness and a mineral, stony undertone typical of Wuyi cliff teas come together. With further infusions, the roastiness gradually fades, giving way to fruity and mineral sweetness alongside a smooth, velvety texture. This tea yields 10 or more infusions, revealing something new in each one.

Why this tea is an exception

Da Hong Pao is not part of our permanent Japanese selection — at Rishe Tea, we build on personal relationships with specific Japanese farmers and their gardens. However, we tasted this tea and couldn't leave it sitting in storage. That's why we offer it only as a rare guest, and in a truly limited quantity.

Recommended preparation: gong-fu style, in a small teapot, with a higher leaf-to-water ratio and shorter infusions — to let the full flavour development unfold from the first to the tenth steep.

The quantity is truly limited and once sold out, this tea will not return.

We sell the tea in a glass Miron jar (25g) — this jar is ideal for further ageing of this exceptional masterpiece. After you finish this tea, the jar can serve as storage for the finest teas from your collection.