Dragon Tea House Da Hong Pao *Sale*

[the_economist]

so mr mang, is the DTH dhp good or no good? how was it?

[MrMang]

Er, um... Welcome to TeaChat??? Try not to feed the bears and poodles. It's is however ok to feed the bears poodles.

I too drink DHP that is not DHP, and I like it.

Thanks for the welcome tenuki???

Bears, poodles, or bear poodles it's all good. I have a pocket full of salmon jerky to taunt them with (though I never actually give it to them, I guess some may consider that cruel ).

Glad to hear you enjoy your non-DHP DHP! Hopefully DTH's DHP is a reasonable one as well. But seriously thanks for the welcome. Take care.

As always --
Happy Tea Moments,
Mr. M

[MrMang]

so mr mang, is the DTH dhp good or no good? how was it?

Hey I'll give you an update soon as I get it. I literally ordered it the night I made this thread, so I still got to wait for the package to arrive . But you will know as soon as I do!

Take care,
Mr.M

[Drax]

The Da Hong Pao from DTH was my first exposure to that particular tea when I first started seriously drinking tea a few years back. I think it was a 2008. I vaguely recall getting DHP from a second source (YSLLC?) and finding them very similar.

I'm sure if I went back and tried it now, I might pick out differences and such, but I still have a generally good impression of the tea.

[MrMang]

Tea just came in today! So will be editing in my opinion on it within this post later on tonight. Hope everyone had a good holiday weekend.

EDIT:

Dragon Tea House Da Hong Pao Yancha.

O.K so going into this tea I really had no expectations which for a supposed DHP that costs 12.99$ for 250g, is I think where you need to be. Does this have the complexity of some other DHPs on the market? No.

But it is a good starting point for those not that familiar with tea in general or this particular type of tea. Again to reiterate, we are not talking about the Aged DHP nor Premium / Superior DHPs Dragon Tea House offers. This is the plain Da Hong Pao Yancha.

For those that are really into tasting notes, there is a format I use for another hobby of mine. Scotch Whisky Tasting !

These are the flavors I found in the tea, for those that are interested:

Nose (Dry): Cocoa in nature, dark chocolate in nose profile. Slight hint of fresh leather (this is good), and overwhelmingly sweet finishing smell. Surprisingly complex which I didn't expect from such an affordable tea.
Nose (Wet): Leathery smell comes to the front, cocoa is definitely still there but not as prevalent. No overwhelming sweetness on finish anymore. There is an almost tobacco-like nature in the scent that I would think comes from the roasting process done to the leaves.

Taste:
Let me just say that the nose on this one is in no way indicative of the taste at all. There is an up front creaminess to the mouth feel that I couldn't help but liken to rice (kind of starchy in nature). Immediately after follows the roasted flavor which is incredibly subtle (disappointing, because this is supposed to be a highlight of this tea). Lastly is the trademark DHP floral finish. The finish in my opinion was the strongest aspect of Dragon Tea House's DHP in that it is definitely there and it has longevity to it. All in all it is a perfectly reasonable tea but a lowsy representation of DHP (in my opinion). The roasted flavor that I was looking for from the scent was nearly absent, which is definitely a big factor for me. The complexity of this one is misleading because the nose is so strong but the taste is just simply O.K.

My opinion is if you have some money to spend, pick up 50g and try it for yourself as I don't believe you will be disappointed.

Happy Tea Moments,
Mr. M

[bagua7]

The only DHP I have had so far was an order from Postcard Teas, and it is quite enjoyable; however, I would love to know how far from the original tea is this tea and how it compares to DTH's offering.

[Tead Off]

The only DHP I have had so far was an order from Postcard Teas, and it is quite enjoyable; however, I would love to know how far from the original tea is this tea and how it compares to DTH's offering.

How many people can say that they've actually had the original tea? Very few. Not only is it expensive, it is hard to find. I am not one of those people so my comparative mind can only measure what I've known. This is not to say there are not good DHP's to be had that are more affordable. And, the tea master who is processing and roasting the leaves also affects the end result dramatically.

[gingkoseto]

[
How many people can say that they've actually had the original tea?

If only tea from a few famous trees are considered "original", then most people have never had original of any tea, not just DHP Besides, who is to say which trees are the "original" I'm sure hundreds of thousands of people, if not millions, have had Qi Dan. But depending on the definition, they are all original, or none of them is.

[gingkoseto]

Tea just came in today! So will be editing in my opinion on it within this post later on tonight. Hope everyone had a good holiday weekend.

EDIT:

Happy Tea Moments,
Mr. M

Have you tried any Sea Dyke DHP (might be found in Asian grocery in large cities)? I'm interested in learning what people think of them compared with other inexpensive DHP (or "DHP") commodities.
This one is the least expensive "DHP" I've seen.
http://gingkobay.blogspot.com/2009/06/a ... g-pao.html

[MrMang]

Have you tried any Sea Dyke DHP (might be found in Asian grocery in large cities)? I'm interested in learning what people think of them compared with other inexpensive DHP (or "DHP") commodities.
This one is the least expensive "DHP" I've seen.
http://gingkobay.blogspot.com/2009/06/a ... g-pao.html

No I haven't. But now I have to say I am definitely interesting in trying it out!

I like the practical packaging, as well as how they divided the tea into two 50g bags to preserve freshness. The tea itself looks surprisingly good, which I would not have expected from a $6 tea. I'll have to ask around, but it shouldn't be too hard to come across in San Francisco.

This was my first experience with "bargain DHP", and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. It is in no way in the caliber of tea of some higher priced DHPs(DTH DHP is more of a one trick pony), however that isn't to say all high priced DHPs are necessarily worth their price.

I shudder to say "true" DHP because quite frankly I'm sure I have never had it before (and doubt I ever will).

But I have had characteristically good DHP with the strong roasted notes, and smooth floral finish.
As I said DTH's DHP was lacking in the roasted department but definitely delivered fl-orally (little pun for you guys, hope this is kosher ).

I am curious to see how Sea Dyke compares, as it is in the same price point as DTH. I will have to check this one out.

Take care,
Mr. M

[MrMang]

The only DHP I have had so far was an order from Postcard Teas, and it is quite enjoyable; however, I would love to know how far from the original tea is this tea and how it compares to DTH's offering.

The DHP that I hold as my standard I remember as having a great deal of complexity that stemmed from the various "roasted" notes. I had not been keeping a detailed tea log as I do now. However I remember distinctly that the tea had left me dumbfounded as to likening the flavor to any fruits, nuts, spices, etc... Sure you could get hints of raisin(roasted sweet flavor), perhaps smoked wood(roasted neutral/nutty flavor), or possibly even tobacco (roasted bitter flavor).

But with a good DHP (or really any roasted or high-fired tea), it should take you MANY tea sessions to pin down the flavor profile. Perhaps you really can't liken the flavor to anything specific at all...

With DTH as I have said; it is a one trick pony.

Sure, there is a great thickened mouth feel "like" DHP, but the roasted quality of the tea seemed to me as an afterthought with the floral notes more pronounced. Not that this is bad, but it is certainly more straight-forward in flavor than my esteemed DHP standard.

Being more straight-forward definitely makes the tea a more redundant drink. Really good DHP should be as crazy as combining hard rock music (intense roasted notes), with gospel (floral finish).

It is really the only tea I have ever had in my life that has been able to combine two completely different flavor profiles so seamlessly.

This is of course my opinion anyway.

Mr. M

[bagua7]

http://gingkobay.blogspot.com/2009/06/a ... g-pao.html

I also like bargain hunting in the local Asian grocery stores but haven't seen any Wuyi teas yet, let alone DHP, but always on the lookout for those hidden gems. TIM firmly believes that is not DHP at all; I don't buy this belief.

[gingkoseto]

http://gingkobay.blogspot.com/2009/06/a ... g-pao.html

I also like bargain hunting in the local Asian grocery stores but haven't seen any Wuyi teas yet, let alone DHP, but always on the lookout for those hidden gems. TIM firmly believes that is not DHP at all; I don't buy this belief.

Indeed this Sea Dyke DHP is most likely from blend of non-DHP cultivars. The taste is somewhat chaotic. It's likely not from central Wuyi region either, as their other products from central Wuyi are all labeled so, yet this one is not labeled so. But Sea Dyke is a state-owned factory and not a tricky company (so far not yet, but who knows if it will follow Dayi's path ). They produce ordinary products all with machine roasting. No artistic work, but no cutting corners either. Its price is usually quite good. This one's current price in China is about $16 (their prices in China are always higher than their prices in Chinatown! )and many people still think it's a good deal.

[woozl]

Really good DHP should be as crazy as combining hard rock music (intense roasted notes), with gospel (floral finish).


Awesome analogy

[MrMang]

Really good DHP should be as crazy as combining hard rock music (intense roasted notes), with gospel (floral finish).


Awesome analogy

Thanks Woozl