Da Hong Pao

Traditional Gongfu Brewing of Da Hong Pao Oolong

Da Hong Pao is not a dish but a famed Wuyi rock oolong tea from northern Fujian. The 'recipe' below is the traditional gongfu method that draws out its roasted, mineral, honey-floral character through short, repeated steeps.

Prep

5 min

Cook

10 min

Total

15 min

Serves

4-6 infusions for 2 people

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •8 g (0.28 oz) Da Hong Pao oolong leaves, authentic Wuyi rock tea, charcoal-roasted
• •300 ml (10 fl oz) mineral spring water per steep, low-mineral water such as Evian or a soft local spring; avoid distilled
• •2 g (0.07 oz) dried osmanthus flowers, optional, for a floral aromatic lift; add 1 pinch with the first steep only
• •3 g (0.1 oz) rock sugar, optional; traditionalists drink it plain, but a small rock-sugar rim is accepted in northern Fujian

Steps

1. 1 Bring mineral spring water to a full rolling boil, then let it rest about 30 seconds so the temperature drops to roughly 95 °C / 205 °F; water that is too hot will scorch the roasted leaf and turn the liquor bitter.
2. 2 Rinse all teaware (gaiwan, fairness pitcher, and small cups) with hot water and discard. This warms the porcelain and prevents the leaf from cooling on contact.
3. 3 Place 8 g of Da Hong Pao leaves into a 100-150 ml Yixing clay or porcelain gaiwan. Do not rinse or pre-wash the leaf: any dust on a properly stored rock oolong belongs in the cup and adds to the body.
4. 4 Awaken the leaf with the first pour: fill the gaiwan to overflowing with water at 95 °C, seal the lid, and immediately decant into the fairness pitcher after about 5 seconds, then into drinking cups. Discard or set aside this first short steep; it opens the twisted strips.
5. 5 First drinking steep: refill the gaiwan with water at 95 °C, steep 10-15 seconds, decant fully into the fairness pitcher, then pour into cups. The liquor should be deep amber-orange with a roasted-grain, cocoa-and-stone-fruit aroma.
6. 6 Steep 2: same water temperature, 10 seconds. Steep 3: 15-20 seconds. Steep 4: 25-30 seconds. From steep 5 onward, add 10-15 seconds per infusion. A good Da Hong Pao gives 6-10 steeps before the flavor thins; later steeps reveal honey, orchid, and the long sweet aftertaste called yanyun (rock rhyme).
7. 7 If using osmanthus, add a tiny pinch to the first drinking steep only; remove before pouring so the delicate floral note does not overpower the roasted character.
8. 8 If using rock sugar, serve a small piece that the drinker can let dissolve on the tongue between sips; do not stir sugar into the gaiwan, as it will coat the leaves and mute the aroma.
9. 9 Drink each infusion while it is hot but not scalding, around 55-65 °C / 130-150 °F, from small porcelain cups. Smell the wet leaves in the lid between steeps to track how the aromatics change.