Since coming back from the new year we've been drinking a great deal of Wu Yi Yen Cha (Fujian Cliff Tea), which at its best turns water to nectar and/or produces a burst of flavor so sharp we've spent days among tea sellers trying to track down that most powerful of a particular type of Wu Yi Yen cha, called Da Hong Pao. It's been tough going, as the multitudes or varieties proffer many different tastes, and that we're looking for is often belittled by merchants, most of whom admit later they do not have any great Da Hong Pao, but some of whom insist it is our tastebuds that are off.
Da Hong Pao is the most famous of the Fujian teas, the other being Tie Guan Yin (which should be spoken of in the fall). The most expensive of the Da Hong Pao trees are priceless, guarded by the army, numbering now 6 r 5 1/2 people sometimes say. It is from cuttings that the rest of the Da Hong Pao begins its journey to comsumer markets. And to hear tell, it is only way down the ladder that the tea is offered outside government circles to the general public for sale.
Having made the rounds to some of the better respected Wu Yi Tea Shops in the tea area of town, we performed the necessary "getting to know you" where they gave us fake teas, and the lower grade teas, and each one we had to sip, question their intelligence (always laughing), until they admitted they had none of their good teas yet. We have learned the Wu Yi Yen tea sells out very quickly. However, soon the 2009 teas will come in from Fujian and we will look forward to trying them with you!
