Big Red Robe (Da Hong Pao)

Customer Reviews

Spicy fruit Review by David

Rating

This tea is aptly named - it does wrap round you like a big red robe, all cosy and snug, giving a warm feeling that suffuses down to your fingertips. The taste is spicy fruit with walnuts, raisins and Christmas pudding. My wife is getting fed up with me making mmm - delicious! noises while I'm drinking it. I would get her out of her sniffy habit of drinking only green teas, but it would mean less oolong for me. This tea you can be greedy and selfish about, with justification!. (Posted on 12/6/11)

Interesting and complex Review by Povilas

Rating

I would say it is more afternoon tea than breakfast. It is plenty of nice cocoa notes and some mando/melon aroma also. rich and fruity, chocolate and roasted bean notes. I love it! For this tea you should just sit and focus on it. And you will get great reward! Medition big time! (Posted on 11/14/11)

nectar Review by David

Rating

Ah, the nectar that is Big Red Robe. My humble breakfast has become a feast. Thanks again. David (Posted on 9/7/11)

Delicious Review by Millie Baker

Rating

This Oolong is rich, dark, and almost chocolatey, but not overpowering. I could drink this all day. (Posted on 6/9/11)

A roasty cup Review by Geoff at Teaviews

Rating

"It was a roasty cup but with an added apple note that made for an additional dazzle.I’ve liked the Da Hong Paos I’ve tried but never loved them. This made me see why some of these can go for $20,000 an ounce. If only for a split second."

For the full review:
http://www.teaviews.com/2010/12/02/review-canton-tea-co-big-red-robe-oolong-3/ (Posted on 1/6/11)

exceptionally delicate taste, light mouthfeel, and lasting flavour. Review by Spencer E

Rating

To brew this tea, I used about a tablespoon of leaves and four cups of boiling water. Steeped in a glass teapot, it was easy to see the leaves as they released a burnt orange liquor. Upon initially steeping this tea, the first thing I noticed was the incredibly light mouthfeel. After the first cup, the flavour continued to linger in my mouth. This oolong has a much lighter taste than other oolongs I have tried. It’s a delicate taste, and very good.

The taste itself…in the first few sips of a cup, one can really taste the leaf, but the flavour seems to fade as one finishes a cup. Perhaps the initial flavour, light as it is, coats the taste buds in one’s mouth so that subsequent sips merely slide through the mouth.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this tea. The flavour was a bit too light for me, but it was still enjoyable to drink. This was very reminiscent of the oolong served in Chinese restaurants with Dim Sum.

I’ve decided that I will give teas that I review an approximate rating, on a scale of 0-100, based on my personal enjoyment of this tea (not it’s comparison in specific areas to other teas). Canton Tea Co’s Big Red Robe oolong receives a 92/100 for its exceptionally delicate taste, light mouthfeel, and lasting flavour.

EDIT: I later tried resteeping these same leaves. This was a major disappointment, as I got barely half of the original body and flavour. This lack of “stamina” in the leaves significantly decreased my rating of this tea (now an 85/100).

See more reviews of Canton Tea products at: http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/ (Posted on 6/16/10)