Da Hong Pao

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Da Hong Pao (Big Red Cloak) is a Wuyi mountain tea grown in the Wuyi Mountains. This tea is a highly oxidized tea, a dark oolong tea.

According to legend, the mother of a Ming Dynasty emperor recovered from her illness after drinking some tea so the emperor sent a large red robe to appreciate the four tea groves that the tea originated.

Six of these early tea groves grew up in the rocks of the Wuyi Mountains and are said to have originated from the Song Dynasty and are still alive today and greatly appreciated. The price of Da Hong Pao is notoriously expensive, can be sold up to US $ 1,025,000 per kilogram or US $ 35.436 per ounce (20g of Da Hong Pao tea from one parent plant sold for ¥ 156,800 in 1998). 

In recent years, a number of companies have invested to preserve this tea and other "artisan" teas that generally have very high quality and have the same rich history as Da Hong Pao.

This move costs high production (and is generally considered authentic only if planted in its home country), but as this tea becomes popular in some Western countries, this valuable tea is available every year with consistent quality due to its ever-increasing popularity.

Cuttings from the parent plant have been used to produce the same level of tea from plants that are genetically identical. The flavor variations resulting from the processing, soil differences, and location of the tea plant derived generation are used to classify the quality of various types of Da Hong Pao tea.

Due to its high quality, Da Hong Pao tea is usually only served for the guests of honor in China.