Da Hong Pao
Da Hong Pao ( Chinese 大 紅袍 / 大 红袍 , Pinyin dà hóng páo - "big red robe") is a Wuyi rock tea that is grown on the steep cliffs of the Wuyi Mountains in the north of the east Chinese province of Fujian in China. It is a semi-fermented, dark oolong tea. Da Hong Paos have a characteristic appearance and a slightly smoky aroma. Better qualities have a gentle, rather fruity character with a sweet note.
history
According to legend, the tea got its name from the fact that the mother of an emperor of the Ming Dynasty was cured of an illness with a certain tea , and the emperor, out of gratitude, put large red robes around the four bushes from which this tea came. Another legend has it that a young man who was about to take an official exam was cured by tea in a monastery, was able to take the exam, and got an excellent exam result. As a high official he returned to the monastery, had the tea plant shown to him and put on the red robe that the emperor had given it.
The tea variety is one of the " four famous tea bushes " of the Wuyi Mountains in the northwest of the Fujian Province and thus one of the original tea plants from whose leaves Oolong tea is made.
Market value
Today there are only six mother plants that are more than 350 years old and stand on a rock in the Wuyi Mountains. According to tradition, these come from the Song Dynasty and have survived to this day. These six mother plants are widely revered. Since only a few hundred grams of Da Hong Pao can be harvested and made into tea from these mother plants each year, this rock tea is very valuable.
Da Hong Pao's first and second leaves, the most powerful and sweetest harvest, sells in the private market worldwide as the most expensive tea per pound. At several thousand dollars an ounce, the Da Hong Pao is many times more valuable than gold. The Da Hong Pao can cost up to 982,252 euros per kilogram or 33,963 euros per ounce. In 1998, 20 g Da Hong Pao from one of the mother plants was sold for 156,800 yuan (approx. 21,588 euros) at an auction.
In recent years, some companies have invested in marketing this tea, as well as other so-called "artisan" teas, which are usually of very high quality and have a rich history, as is the case with Da Hong Pao. These teas initially cause high production costs and are typically only considered authentic if they are grown in their place of origin. But since they have quickly become popular in western countries, selected tea varieties can be offered every year, whereby due to the increased popularity, a constant tea quality is ensured.
Offshoots from the original plants were used to make similar types of tea from genetically identical plants. Flavor variations resulting from processing, differences in the soil and the locations of these later generation plants are used to rate the quality of the various Da Hong Paos.
Because of its high quality, the Da Hong Pao is usually reserved for specially honored guests in China .
preparation
Da Hong Pao is traditionally made for oolong tea. Four to five grams of Da Hong Pao are used for 300 ml of tea water. Since the first infusion is considered impure, it is only held for a few seconds and then poured away. Da Hong Paos only develop their full aroma after further infusions. The steeping time is one to two minutes at a water temperature of 100 ° Celsius. The tea can be infused nine times.
See also
Web links
- Chinese Famous Tea - Dahongpao teavivre.com
- Theodora Sutcliffe, The drink that costs more than gold , BBC.com, April 26, 2016
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c d e Sarah Rose, For All The Tea in China: How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History , Penguin Random House, March 18, 2010, ISBN 0-670-02152-0 , accessed December 28 2016
- ↑ a b 大 红袍 是 什么 茶? , lincha.com, August 26, 2010, accessed December 28, 2016
- ↑ Wǔ Yí Dà Hóng Páo - Large Red Robe , chadao.de, accessed on December 28, 2016
- ↑ a b c d e f g Da Hong Pao - the precious rock tea from Wuyishan , chinareise.com, May 11, 2013, accessed on December 28, 2016
- ^ Mary Lou Heiss, Robert J. Heiss: The story of tea: A cultural history and drinking guide . Potter / TenSpeed / Harmony, 2011, ISBN 978-1-60774-172-5 , pp. 333 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
- ↑ a b James Francis, Most Expensive Tea - The World's Most Expensive ... ( Memento from July 23, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), howzit msn Business, March 28, 2012, accessed on December 28, 2016