Y'all loved last year's light roast Da Hong Pao from the Yue family so much, we're thrilled to finally be able to release this year's version. Enjoy this lightly roasted oolong crafted from 兰花香大红袍小品种 Orchid Fragrance Da Hong Pao smaller leaf variety. Vegetal tones and a minerally mouthfeel set the stage for accents of nutty flavors and floral fragrances.
The Yue family is our connection to well crafted and unpretentious 岩茶 yánchá or rock oolong. These remarkable teas hail from the Wuyi Mountains, the site of a UNESCO world heritage site that features stunning (previously volcanic) mountain crags that stand as a kingdom above lush forests, valleys, rivers, and springs. The mineral profile and acidity in these rocks and soil brings to life brilliant tea cultivars fostered for generations. While the scenic park's teas demand the highest prices, the price of admission to this club has become more elitist over the years. Incredible rock oolong in similar and proximal environs isn't impossible to be found upon careful searching.
photo taken in the park during our time in Wuyishan in 2019
The Yue family tends to an 8 acre stretch of tea gardens just north of Tongmu Village, west of the scenic park, right outside of the Wuyishan Forest Park 森林公园 武夷山, another preserve upriver that features old-growth trees, waterfalls, and protected rare flora and fauna.
Yue Jun, featured below, is the third female farmer in her lineage to craft Oolong on her family's land and plans to eventually pass this tradition to her daughter.
This tea brews warm and rich with a very grounding qi. It has a velvety mouthfeel that gives way to a dark fruity finish on the exhale. It's a great tea to drink to raise the spirits and ignite the soul. Get it, drink it, love it!
These leaves brew up with a flavor that has to be experienced. A tea of finesse and endurance.