One gram of Da Hong Pao can sell for more than $1,400. So why can you also find it at your local Chinese supermarket?
It’s considered the most expensive tea in the world. In 2002, a mere 20 grams of Da Hong Pao was auctioned off to a purchaser for $28,000, worth more than its weight in gold.
For centuries, this dark oolong tea, cultivated in the mountains of Fujian Province in China, held an air of luxury. Six so-called mother trees, believed to contain the original leaves, are protected by armed guards. The highest-quality leaves reserved for “honored guests.” One story goes that Chinese premier Zhou Enlai gifted a set to Richard Nixon during the U.S. president’s visit to China in 1972.
Yet it’s also possible to find Da Hong Pao tea at your local Chinese grocery store for as little as $4 an ounce.
The commercialization of China’s most treasured tea is tied to its mythology and the unique location in which it grows.
Where does Da Hong Pao come from?
Legend has it that Da Hong Pao, literally “big red robe,” earned its name after the sick mother of the emperor—or a future government official, depending on the story—was healed by drinking the tea as a medicine.
The grateful emperor, or official, then hung a big red robe on the mother trees as a sign of gratitude.
Leaves from these six mother trees are considered the original, authentic Da Hong Pao tea leaves.
Leaves from these six mother trees are considered the original, authentic Da Hong Pao tea leaves. They’re the ones that sold for $1,400 a gram in 2002.
Da Hong Pao is an oolong tea, which means the leaves are left to oxidate in the sun before they’re roasted. The mother trees are located in Fujian Province, specifically the Wuyi mountain range, where many of the most famous oolong teas are produced. One saying goes, “Every rock has tea. Without rocks, there is no tea.” Because of Wuyi’s terrain, tea here is often called rock tea.
The mother trees sit on the side of a mountain, feeding off a unique mixture of rainwater and rocky silt. Records indicate they have been around as early as the 16th century.
But because of high demand, the number of trees dwindled to six. In 2006, the Chinese government banned harvesting of the mother trees. The last known harvest was gifted to the Beijing Chinese International Museum in 2007.
But why is Da Hong Pao still sold?
Although the original trees are off-limits, that hasn’t stopped people from producing Da Hong Pao tea.
Cuttings from the mother trees have been used to grow a variety of crops that are now marketed as Da Hong Pao. But the quality can vary depending on where they’re grown and how they’re harvested and processed. Both premium and cheaper versions are available on the market.
Sun’s Organic Garden in New York’s Chinatown imports Da Hong Pao from China. “As China becomes wealthier, people have more disposable income, and this previously elusive tea has become more available to them,” says owner Natalie Hsieh.
Da Hong Pao can generally be classified into four groups. The highest quality, Zheng Yan, grows within the protected park in the Wuyi mountains. Sun’s premium stock is Zheng Yan from a crag that sits at an altitude of about 7,200 feet above sea level.
(Read more: Our ultimate guide to Chinese tea: What are the different types, and how are they made?)
Ban Yan, which means “halfway,” grows on the hills and cliffs outside the park, but still in the Wuyi region. Zhou Cha grows further out on the flatlands between the mountains and river.
Wei San is grown completely outside the epicenter and usually lacks the qualities that make Da Hong Pao unique.
Growing demand for oolong tea
Consumer thirst for Da Hong Pao has also benefited its cousins in the oolong family. Local farmers say demand has been steadily increasing 10% every year in the past decade. In 2018 alone, the market price of Wuyi tea jumped by 20%.
Although Wuyi tea’s popularity has grown in recent years, its reputation has been long established. Wuyi tea was so famous that the local word for the region, Bohea, was used to describe most black teas in the West. Bohea tea made up the bulk of stock that was tossed into the harbor during the Boston Tea Party.
The value of Wuyi tea does not just depend on its location but also when it is harvested and how it is processed.
“Chinese tea really is a skill, not just a scientific thing,” Hsieh says. “It’s trial and error, skill building over thousands of years to produce a tea that has complex flavor and fragrance.”
“Teas like that age like wine. But when they do hit the market, they will be rare, and they will be very expensive.”
Apart from the leaves’ inherent taste, the drying and roasting process also adds a set of characteristics to the overall flavor. The most sought-after tea is made by masters who have passed down the process as an art form, usually from father to son.
(Read more: How China’s famous Yixing teapots make tea taste better)
“It’s like coffee,” Hsieh says. “People who drink dark roasts are drinking for the flavor that comes from the roast. For light roasts, you’re drinking for the bean characteristics.
“A very skilled person would be able to marry a combination of both.” The precision required makes the process difficult to learn.
Although they are no longer harvested, Hsieh suspects that the last crop from the Da Hong Pao mother trees may still be in storage or being processed. “Roasting can take a long time,” Hsieh says, “and teas like that age like wine.”
“But when they do hit the market,” she adds, “they will be rare, and they will be very expensive.”