Qidan. . The former name of Dahongpao. Produced in Wuyishan City, Fujian Province. . Because the buds that sprout in early spring are purple-red, and the tea tree looks red when viewed from a distance, it is named "Qidan".

It is said that the monks of Tianxin Temple cured an imperial official’s illness with tea made from tea tree buds and leaves on the rock wall of Jiulong Cave. The imperial official covered the tea tree with his red robe. To express gratitude, the red robe dyed the tea tree red, hence the name "Dahongpao" tea. It is also said that a candidate fell ill on the way, and monk Tianxinyan used tea soup to revive him. After the candidate won the first prize in the examination, he covered the tea tree with his red robe, hence the name Dahongpao.

The book said that the quality characteristics of "Dahongpao" are: the appearance is tightly knotted, the color is green and brown, the soup is orange and bright after brewing, and the leaves are red and green. The typical leaves are green and red. The beauty of edging. The most outstanding quality of Dahongpao is its fragrant orchid fragrance, which is high and long-lasting, with obvious "rock charm". Dahongpao is very resistant to brewing and still has a fragrant aroma after being brewed seven or eight times. To drink "Dahongpao" tea, you must follow the "Gongfu Tea" procedure of sipping carefully and slowly from a small pot and a small cup, in order to truly taste the ultimate flavor of rock tea.

As for the real Qidan tea. There are relatively few now. The ones flooding the market are the so-called Xiaohongpao.