I was a Fat Man

Wu Yi Tea, aka Wu Long Tea, aka Oolong Tea, comes in many varieties, or grades. According To Ling Wang, a local chinese tea expert in Fujian Province, China, the two top grades of Wu Long tea are Da Hong Pao als known as Grand Scarlet Robe, and Tae Kuan Yin, Ti Guan Yin,Tie Guan Yin, Iron Godess Of Mercy. Wu Yi Tea is Da Hong Pao grown in the Wu Yi Shan mountains, located in Fujian Province China. There rarity of the tea is due to how difficult it is to grow. When the tea leaves are fermented in the sun, the so called weight loss properties are enhanced, as are the anti-cholesterol, anti-diabetes, and cleansing properties.

According to the wikipedia:

Dà Hóng Páo is a very important Wuyi Oolong tea. Legend has it that the mother of a Tang Dynasty emperor was cured of an illness by a certain tea, and that emperor sent great red robes to clothe the four bushes from which that tea originated. These original bushes, growing on a rock on Mount Wuyi, still survive today and are highly venerated. They are only harvested for a few kilograms of tea each year. This original and real Da Hong Pao can fetch tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram. Cuttings taken from the original plants have been used to produce similar grades of tea from genetically identical plants. Taste variations produced by processing, differences in the soil, and location of these later generation plants is used to grade the quality of various Da Hong Pao teas.

Xiao Hong Pao, or Small Red Robe refers to Da Hong Pao grown from third or more generation plants but the term is rarely used.

As it’s of very high quality, the Da Hong Pao is usually reserved for honorable guests.

The validity of the medicinal benefits of Wu Yi Tea has really not been sufficiently researched. Yet many tea lovers who are obese drink Wu Yi tea to lose weight, and the anecdotal evidence given by consumers support the medicinal benefits.