Tai Ping Hou Kui is one of the most famous green tea in China. It is a reputable tea with long history dating back to Qing Dynasty. It is grown at the foot at Huangshan City of Anhui Province in China. The best Tai Ping Hou Kui is produced in the villages of Houkeng, Hougang and Yanjiachun.
It is easy to be recognized for its unique beautiful appearance – two tea leaves covering the bud, the leaves are flat and the bud is straight, naturally stretching. The body is covered with white hairs. The leaf color is pale green, the bud is green with red veins underneath, barely visible. The tea leaves can be as long as 15 centimeters (5.9 in) and is the largest sized leaf tea among the famous green teas.
Despite its large leaf, it has a very fragrant orchid delicate flavor and a sweet mellow lasting taste. The taste is just like its appearance, elegant and premium, which in China people give the special taste a beautiful name Hou Yun, meaning the charm of Hou Kui.
The quantity of Hou Kui on the market is less comparing with other green teas because of its unique cultivar and handmade process. It is made from the Shi Da cultivar, a large-leaf variety found only in Anhui Province.
The production process is also sophisticated.
Sometimes consumers are easy to confuse Hou Kui with another tea called Tai Ping Bu Jian, for their likeness in their appearance.
Despite the similarity in appearance and name, Bu Jian is not the same level tea as Hou Kui, nor is its taste comparable with Hou Kui.
As shown in the image above, the left side is Tai Ping Bu Jian. Bu Jian is machine-made, so it is thinner and wider than Hou Kui. And the color of Bu Jian is usually more shinny green.
We recommend to brew Hou Kui in a tall straight glass cup, so we can better observe its appearance in the water.
Store the tea in the fridge. You should first put the tea in a dry, and sealable container before putting the tea into the fridge. The temperature of the freezer is best adjusted to below 5℃.
