TaiPing HouKui green tea has uniquely long, flat leaves that make an amazing sight when brewed in a clear glass – which we strongly recommend! The tea is made from one bud with two leaves that come from a large leaf variety of the tea plant found only in Anhui province. During processing the leaves are pressed flat in an oven, giving the tea its unique shape.
TeaVivre's TaiPing KouKui is premium, grade 1 tea and has a fresh, orchid like fragrance with a classic sweet green tea taste. When brewed it has a bright green color, that combine with the size of the leaves to make a tea that is great to admire in a tall clear glass. This tea is not bitter in the least, and retains its sweet taste even after many infusions.
Brief Health Info
Just like all green teas, our TaiPing HouKui has high levels of antioxidants that reputedly help reduce the incidence of cancer, promote good skin tone and help reduce the affects of aging. Also containing vitamin C, fluoride and calcium, TeaVivre's TaiPing HouKui also promotes healthy teeth and bones.
For more information on the health benefits of Green teas, take a look at our article on Tea Health benefit.
How to make Tai Ping Hou Kui
Like all Green Teas, TaiPing HouKui should only be brewed in clean, mineral free, water that is not quite at boiling, but instead is around 176ºF (80ºC) for about 1 to 2 minutes, and can be infused 3 or 4 times before slowly loosing its sweet flavour.
Because of the unique size and shape of this tea, it really should be brewed directly in a tall, clear glass to let you enjoy watching the tea slowly expand like a flower as it brews!
For more information on some of the skills and arts of brewing tea, check out our article on How To Make Tea.
Where is our Tai Ping Hou Kui green tea produced
Our TaiPing HouKui is from the Jiangnanchun Tea Industry Co., Ltd. They choose tea from plantation located in the village of HouKeng in the foothills of Huangshan Mountain in Anhui. The tea gardens in this area are around 350m high and produce a much variety of the tea bush, that has the very long buds and leaves characteristic of this tea. This area has a great climate and environment for growing this particular variety of tea, with mild temperatures and lots of cloud cover.
History
TaiPing HouKui green tea was first developed around 1900 by a farmer by the name of Wang Kuicheng in the village of Hougang in TaiPin county, Anhui province. Due to its quality and taste it was soon ranked as one of the best teas in the area and was given the name of TaiPing HouKui – naming it both after the farmer and the village where it originated.
Later in 1912 a tea merchant by the name of Liu Jingzhi from Taiping county purchased several of the unique tea bushes used to produce the tea and then sent them to the Nanjing Fair where they were put on display by the Ministry of Agriculture. At that fair the tea was given an award for best tea. A few years later, in 1915, the tea won gold medal for teas at the Panama World Expo, and since that time has always been regarded as one of the best and most unique Chinese teas.
Rating *:
Dry Leaf: Has a light vegetal smell with a nice sweet smell that almost comes to the front of the tea.
Wet Leaf: Had a vegetal smell think green bean with a almost slight toasted or warm smell that had a touch of sweetness in the back somewhere.
Liquor: Was a pale yellow with a nice brightness and good clarity.
Taste: Had a light but fresh vegetal flavor.And as the broth cools there was a faint floral note in the distanced background with a lingering sweetness.