Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: small, dark and twisted
Ingredients: oolong tea
Steep time: 3 minutes
Water Temperature: 195 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain infuser mug
Liquor: deep reddish brown
Thank goodness for Google Translate! Even though KEDOÇAY is Turkish I’m still able to read their brewing directions and tea descriptions. The instructions for this tea were for a western style brew. When brewing it that way the result was smooth and roasty but a bit thin. I then tried it in my gaiwan which was somewhat better but I felt that I should have used more leaf. It’s rare that I try brewing a tea this many different ways but I had a nagging feeling that I hadn’t seen this one at its best. After trying both a gaiwan and western style brew there wasn’t a ton of tea left so I decided to give it a go in my teeny tiny Petr Novak teapot. The pot fits barely 60ml when empty and I usually use about 3g of leaves. Eureka! Now this tea was finally what I wanted from a Da Hong Pao. It was minerally and almost creamy with a carmel like sweetness. This pot is not glazed and has been seasoned with yancha (mostly Huang Guan Yin) so that may have also made a difference. Cliff teas really do well with concentrated brews and this was a great reminder of that.
Big Red Robe sample provided by KEDOÇAY.