Da Hong Pao - best tea, value?

[spinmail]

I ordered the 2011 Zhenyan Da Hong Pao from Five Star Tea (thanks to the advice of chado.my.teaway); the price and quality looks promising. A Polish vendor, but has very good prices and customer service.

I'm now overloaded with DHP - but somehow, I don't mind.

[tenuki]

+1 for Dragon House stuff - it's decent for the price. Not top shelf but good daily drinking stuff.

Yunnan Sourcing used to have a pretty decent DHP for the price, haven't had their latest offering though.

GrandTea is a decent source of mid grade yancha in general - haven't had their DHP though. ( I tend to favor their Shui Jin Gui and Su Xin Lan )

I get most of my better DHP from Vancouver, BC after tasting it in person.

[bagua7]

I'm now overloaded with DHP - but somehow, I don't mind.

You are more than welcome to send me some of your excess.

DHP is one of my fave teas.

[sriracha]

When the eBay seller mentioned above was away I decided to throw in a small bag of DHP with my purchase from a local vendor whose other teas I've found decent in the past. ~$8/50g.

Gotta start somewhere!

[spinmail]

I'm learning more about DHP all the time - not least that amount of roast may affect the flavor may affect the flavor as much as the grade. For that reason, I'm strongly considering this:

http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/pro ... roduct=851

A "light roast" means a somewhat greener character, and a wider palate of flavors.

[tenuki]

spinmail - I suspect that the inverse might be true, ie lower grade teas get roasted more...

[spinmail]

spinmail - I suspect that the inverse might be true, ie lower grade teas get roasted more...

Hmmm. That just might be true.

I recently tried another DHP: reviewed here favorably - 2011 Zhenyan Da Hong Pao Yan Cha from Buddha Country Cliff, from Five Star Tea. The color of the liquor is a deeper amber than competing teas, though its aroma is less "roasty." The flavor was like a cross between a light DHP and a Tie-Guan-Yin. The steeped leaves were mostly brown and some mottled green - clearly a less oxidized Da Hong Pao. I prefer a tea that mixes both qualities, though this is a well-crafted tea.

On the other hand, Enjoyingtea.com offers a DHP that's noticeably roasty with a less assertive flavor. This is more of an "entry level" grade, with a lighter amber color and fewer rock tea characteristics.

Here's a hint: it's alright to mix 3g of a smokey DHP with 1g of a light DHP; that way, you can get an agreeable mix of smokiness and greenness.

[chrl42]

DHP or Yancha's grades rather come from region or tea bushes. 5 selected Zhengyan areas' Yancha score high-price than others. Each bushes have famous regions too,

For Rou Gui, Niu Lan Keng and Ma Tou Yan are most famous. Niu Rou (aka) mostly score 300 usd/500g at least.

For DHP, 'original bush gene', notably Qi Dan, Bei Dou and Que She are high-priced, similiar to Niu Rou from bottom,

C.

[bagua7]

More valuable info, thanks sir! But...I thought you were only a pot expert?

[MarshalN]

This sounds crazy, but go to your local Chinatown and see if you can find the red canned Seadyke brand DHP. It's not the best tea, but it's cheap and is surprisingly ok.

[iovetea]

DHP or Yancha's grades rather come from region or tea bushes. 5 selected Zhengyan areas' Yancha score high-price than others. Each bushes have famous regions too,

For Rou Gui, Niu Lan Keng and Ma Tou Yan are most famous. Niu Rou (aka) mostly score 300 usd/500g at least.

For DHP, 'original bush gene', notably Qi Dan, Bei Dou and Que She are high-priced, similiar to Niu Rou from bottom,

C.

aren't they not generically breed all, and the real ones are so expensive that normal people can't buy them??? i heard that there aren't even enough real ones that you could sell da hong pao commercially... but maybe i got that wrong, i just remember darkly to have read something that no da hong pao is real da hong pao

but i could be completely mistaken... i think i have read something like that but I'm far from sure...

[iovetea]

This sounds crazy, but go to your local Chinatown and see if you can find the red canned Seadyke brand DHP. It's not the best tea, but it's cheap and is surprisingly ok.

yes we all have our dark secrets, i used to like ten sin´s tie guan yin, even so it was oolong dust they had in their tea bags.

[Tead Off]

I don't think Da Hong Pao is best tea, Different people taste is different. Wuyi China have many good quality rock tea, Like Tie Luo Han, Shui Xian and so on, But Da Hong Pao more popular is because the China government like it. I don't think the government know tea than us.

I would agree that it is much easier to find good rock teas other than Da Hong Pao. I am disappointed with DHP at least 90%. I think most of it is garbage, probably not even DHP.

[spinmail]

I don't think Da Hong Pao is best tea, Different people taste is different. Wuyi China have many good quality rock tea, Like Tie Luo Han, Shui Xian and so on, But Da Hong Pao more popular is because the China government like it. I don't think the government know tea than us.

I would agree that it is much easier to find good rock teas other than Da Hong Pao. I am disappointed with DHP at least 90%. I think most of it is garbage, probably not even DHP.

I suspect you're correct - but there seems to be considerable variance in quality over time. And after trying all of the above - some of which are good in their own ways - only the Dragon House Nonpareil seems to have the full "rock tea" taste. In addition, various balances of roast show quite a variance of flavor.

Unfortunately, no one is in a definite place to even verify if one has "genuine" DHP. All we can do is say if we like or dislike a given batch of tea. I don't care if the tea has the "original gene" - only that it tastes good.

[Tead Off]

I don't think Da Hong Pao is best tea, Different people taste is different. Wuyi China have many good quality rock tea, Like Tie Luo Han, Shui Xian and so on, But Da Hong Pao more popular is because the China government like it. I don't think the government know tea than us.

I would agree that it is much easier to find good rock teas other than Da Hong Pao. I am disappointed with DHP at least 90%. I think most of it is garbage, probably not even DHP.

I suspect you're correct - but there seems to be considerable variance in quality over time. And after trying all of the above - some of which are good in their own ways - only the Dragon House Nonpareil seems to have the full "rock tea" taste. In addition, various balances of roast show quite a variance of flavor.

Unfortunately, no one is in a definite place to even verify if one has "genuine" DHP. All we can do is say if we like or dislike a given batch of tea. I don't care if the tea has the "original gene" - only that it tastes good.

True, and most of it doesn't taste good to me.