Tai Ping Hou Kui (太平猴魁)

archetype: Crane in a bamboo grove

A slender crane among bamboo: a long leaf, an orchid aroma, a cool green depth.

History

Tai Ping Hou Kui — 'monkey king of Taiping' — is one of the most unusual green teas of China. The bush is cultivated only in Taiping county (Anhui), on the slopes of Mount Houkeng. The leaf is huge — 5–7 cm long; it is pressed in the palm with a special movement to keep it flat and long. Each leaf is processed separately by hand — hence the high price and rarity.

Terroir

Canonical Hou Kui comes only from the villages Houkeng and Houkang; outside them the leaf loses its characteristic length and orchid.

Leaf

white orchid, bamboo, ripe pear, a sweet coolness long, cool, leaving a 'bamboo' note in the throat and an orchid echo

Properties

rich in theanine, low tannins thanks to the large leaf; mild, not sharp light, rising into the head; felt as a 'straightening of the spine' moderate (25–40 mg)

Brewing ritual

a tall glass — so the leaf can stand upright; 80 °C; 4 g / 250 ml. 50s — the long leaf lifts a vein — orchid; 70s — the peak: bamboo, cool pear; 100s — a long green depth.

When to drink

morning and day. spring. when you want solemnity; for guests you wish to surprise