How to brew Da Hong Pao, also the history of the legendary Chinese tea.

A perfect drink with a deep spicy-floral taste, which has an amazing health benefit! Produced in Fujian province in the Wu mountains, this special tea, the king of mountain teas, is grown on soil rich in manganese, magnesium and potassium.

"Great Red Robe", so translated from Chinese traditional language, the name of one of the most famous varieties of Chinese tea Da Hung Pao, is fascinated by more than one generation of connoisseurs of tea all over the world, not only thanks to its original flavor, delicious "imperial taste", but also by curious legends , Narrating about the history of its origin. Before learning about how to brew Da Hong Pao, about the effect of a wonderful drink, it may be interesting to get acquainted with the most popular of them.

In many stories about Chinese teas, the participation of the emperor is in fact an indispensable condition, not an exception and events related to Da Hong Pao. Da Hong Pao - tea, named after the gift made by the emperor to tea bushes.

In 1385, one poor student, heading to the capital to take the imperial exam and passing on the road through the mountains of Wu, suddenly felt an intolerable pain in his stomach. But fortunately, by the will of the heavens, he accidentally met the old abbot of the Tian Xin monastery, located in Wuyi. He gave him an amazing tea, and the pain stopped. At parting, the abbot gave the young man a pot of tea leaves from four tea bushes that grew on the inaccessible cliff of Mount Wu, as they say, from the time of the Song Dynasty, and asked them to use them when there was an urgent need. Having passed the exam, the student became the winner in the capital examinations and the first candidate for a high post (Zhuangyuan).

At that time, the Emperor's mother fell seriously ill. She literally melted in front of a strange illness, becoming weaker and weaker. The Emperor was very fond of his mother and could not accept that he would lose her. He summoned one hundred most worthy doctors from all of China who tried to heal her, preparing drugs from the rarest herbs. But all efforts were unsuccessful. The emperor appealed to all the people, asking for any help and promising great wealth for the healing of the Empress.

Then the scientist remembered the gift of the old abbot and showed how to brew Da Hong Pao. The woman, having drunk tea, quickly began to recover. The emperor was overjoyed, he even allowed the scientist to marry the princess and sent him to the Wu mountains, to give the rector silk fabrics of red color, so that they would be wrapped in tea bushes in cold weather. Local residents from that time began to call this tea - "Big Red Robe".

If you go deep into the history of the production of Chinese tea, it should be noted that already at the time of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), teas from Mount Wyh were famous for the whole empire and pinch ("tea pancake", pressed tea in the form of a blink or disc) " Dragon and Phoenix "was sent every year as a tribute to the emperor. Then people still did not know how to brew Da Hong Pao, and in order to prepare a drink, they grind the bunch into powder. The first emperor of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) announced that he wished to receive only leaf tea as a tribute from Wuyi. This led to the fact that the entire tea production market from Mount Wu was destroyed, farmers had to organize a new way of production in order to please the wishes of the emperor. Then a new class of oolong tea was created, to which Da Hong Pao (oolong strong fermentation) belongs.

Six "parent" shrubs, from which all today's Da Hung Pao teas originated, are protected by a law that prohibits the collection of leaves from them. The quality of tea leaves is classified according to how closely the tea bushes of subsequent generations grow to the parent shrubs.

From such tea bushes, they are called Xiao Hong Mao (a small red robe), produce tea, some of which is shipped directly to the president of China, and the rest is sold at auction. In today's days, it is considered the most expensive tea on earth, a kind of luxury item, tea leaves are processed by the best producers of Da Hung Pao tea in China. This tea, as a rule, is reserved only for especially honored guests in China. For example, in one story it is claimed that in 1972, while visiting China, US President Richard Nixon received 50 g of Da Hong Pao from Mao Zedong.

Aroma that identifies Da Hung Pao tea, floral, taste - sweetish. It is described as the most exquisite perfume, the fragrance of which you feel all day.

In recent decades, many companies have invested money in the production of Da Hong Pao teas and other so-called "handicraft" (or produced according to traditional recipes), which, as a rule, have very high quality and are accompanied by stories and legends. Such teas have initially a greater cost of production, are considered genuine only if grown in the places of origin, on the basis of a certain composition.

Among the wealthy people has become a popular trend to buy premium teas, for which they pay really huge money. To date, the cost of a 50-gram handful of Da Hong Pao is about 2200 dollars.

So, how to brew Da Hong Pao?

You need to boil about 120 milliliters of water. Water quality is also of great importance.

Measure approximately 1.5 tablespoons of tea leaves.

Immerse the tea brew in the Yshin teapot (or glazed porcelain cup).

A small teapot is better suited for Da Hong Pao tea (because of the high concentration of dried tea leaves, for a large teapot will need more brewing).

Pour almost boiling water, cover the kettle and let it brew for about 45 seconds.

Pour the tea into a cup and drink.

Save the tea leaves and continue to drink tea, receiving incomparable pleasure, even after 8-10 brewing.

The dried leaf has a brownish color with green and burgundy hues. After a few brews, the taste, flavor, color changes. If after the first it is more tart, then fruit notes begin to appear later.

After the dedication to how to brew Da Hong Pao, it should be said about the enormous health benefits that he has. Calms the nervous system and gives energy, thanks to the prolonged action of caffeine, containing in tea dahungpao. The effect for weight loss is stunning, as a fragrant drink enhances metabolism and helps burn fat.

It is recommended to start drinking tea with 4-5 cups a day, especially before work. In a few days a person will surely feel positive changes in his body.