Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
奇丹 Qídān “Rare Vermilion” 岩茶 yánchá “cliff/rock tea” from 武夷山 Wǔyíshān, in northern 福建 Fújiàn province, China.
Qídān is easily one of my favorite teas. While it is impossible to find real 大紅袍 Dà Hóng Páo (“Big Red Robe”) in the tea market (that is unless you are extremely wealthy or well-positioned within China’s government), Qídān is a direct clone from the Mother Plant Number 2 of the original six Dà Hóng Páo tea bushes. Like true Dà Hóng Páo, Qídān is a twisted leaf, darker roasted, higher oxidized tea with colors of dark red and green, it presents a balance interplay between a layered roast profile set against a beautiful fragrant and complex spectrum of flavors. Orchid and osmanthus, incense and warming spice, bittersweet chocolate, and the distinctive minerality 岩韻 yányùn (lit. “rock/cliff rhyme”) that is a mark of excellent yánchá. This tea is lush and luxurious in flavors and textures, which last long past the final sip.
Brewing Suggestions
Qídān, much like Dà Hóng Páo, prefers a faster steeping time at higher temperatures. 4-6 grams of tea into a 120-180 ml (~4-6 oz) Yíxìng teapot or porcelain gàiwǎn, brewed with water at a near boiling temperature (~98C/210F) for 1-1.5 minutes. To produce a brew with more body, consider increasing the brew time to 2 minutes, an approach which will draw out more intensity in the flavor profile, heavier body, more presence of the roast, and a pleasant clean astringency. Subsequent steepings can be increased in time. By steeping four and five, increasing the steep time by a minute will help to push the tea. By the sixth to eighth steeping, additional time added will help to allow remaining flavors to emerge, shifting the darker tones to sweeter more honey like qualities.
奇丹 Qídān “Rare Vermilion” 岩茶 yánchá “cliff/rock tea” from 武夷山 Wǔyíshān, in northern 福建 Fújiàn province, China.
Qídān is easily one of my favorite teas. While it is impossible to find real 大紅袍 Dà Hóng Páo (“Big Red Robe”) in the tea market (that is unless you are extremely wealthy or well-positioned within China’s government), Qídān is a direct clone from the Mother Plant Number 2 of the original six Dà Hóng Páo tea bushes. Like true Dà Hóng Páo, Qídān is a twisted leaf, darker roasted, higher oxidized tea with colors of dark red and green, it presents a balance interplay between a layered roast profile set against a beautiful fragrant and complex spectrum of flavors. Orchid and osmanthus, incense and warming spice, bittersweet chocolate, and the distinctive minerality 岩韻 yányùn (lit. “rock/cliff rhyme”) that is a mark of excellent yánchá. This tea is lush and luxurious in flavors and textures, which last long past the final sip.
Brewing Suggestions
Qídān, much like Dà Hóng Páo, prefers a faster steeping time at higher temperatures. 4-6 grams of tea into a 120-180 ml (~4-6 oz) Yíxìng teapot or porcelain gàiwǎn, brewed with water at a near boiling temperature (~98C/210F) for 1-1.5 minutes. To produce a brew with more body, consider increasing the brew time to 2 minutes, an approach which will draw out more intensity in the flavor profile, heavier body, more presence of the roast, and a pleasant clean astringency. Subsequent steepings can be increased in time. By steeping four and five, increasing the steep time by a minute will help to push the tea. By the sixth to eighth steeping, additional time added will help to allow remaining flavors to emerge, shifting the darker tones to sweeter more honey like qualities.