Inspired by his love of tea, Bimber’s Master Distiller Darius Plazewski, has crafted the UK’s first Da Hong Pao Tea Gin using rare, handpicked organic Oolong tea from the cliffs of Wuyi Mountain which is now available in the U.S. for about $45- $50.
Described by Darius as “an earthy, floral, richly coloured gin with a sweet taste profile.”
Da Hong Pao Tea Gin is 100% handcrafted on site at Bimber’s West London distillery using one of the world’s most expensive tea plants – Oolong Tea.
Prized by tea connoisseurs worldwide, Da Hong Pao is a semi-fermented, heavily oxidized Oolong tea. It originates from wild rare tea plants that are found growing on the cliffs of Wuyi Mountain. According to Darius “it yields a golden yellow liquid that produces a pleasant long lasting aftertaste. It’s also renowned for its nourishing medicinal properties, just like Gin.”
Applying traditional brewing and draining methods, Darius mixes the Da Hong Pao leaves with Bimber’s award winning Gin recipe, which is expertly made with high quality and special selected botanicals He goes on to explain, “I infuse the Gin and Tea leaves for one week to ensure maximum flavour extraction, before being filtered and bottled at a high-strength of 51.8% ABV.”
She says “I have taken lots of influence from the Wuyi Mountains and I have spent countless hours researching and tasting several types of Oolong tea, analysing the colours of the roast and deciphering Chinese characters.”