Tai Ping Hou Kui Tea

Monkey King Tea

At first glance, Tai Ping Hou Kui tea stands out. The tea comes from a special variety of tea tree which produces long leaves. The processed tea leaves are long and thin. They can be up to 15cm in length. The tea is one of the 10 most famous Chinese Teas and its name comes with an interesting story. The tea is produced in the county of Tai Ping. That explains the first part. The second word, "Hou", which means monkey, came from the village where the tea first became famous. The village's name was Houkeng. The word "Kui" comes from the man who first invented this tea. His name was Wang Kui Chen. Put together, the words "Tai Ping Hou Kui" means "Great Peace Monkey King". Today the tea is grown near Huangshan (Yellow Mountain), in Anhui Province. The mountain is the highest mountain in Eastern China and is one of the most spectacular places on earth. There is an old Chinese saying which translates as; after visiting Huangshan Mountain, there is no reason to visit any other mountain.

The tea grows at altitudes of up to 700 meters. The areas where the tea trees grow are located near Tai Ping Lake. The temperatures vary greatly from day to night because of the lake and it is believed that it is this temperature fluxuation that gives the tea its fantastic taste. The tea can only be picked for 2 weeks a year. Normally tea producers pick small buds and new leaves, but Tai Ping Hou Kui is different. The pickers pick large leaves. They pick leaves which are 7 to 15cm in length. Once picked, the leaves are produced that day. The leaves are fried to kill the oxidizing enzymes. The leaves are then pressed between cloth. This has to be done by hand. This results in the finished leaves having a checkerboard pattern in the leaves. The leaves are then fully dried in an oven. The finished tea is wonderful. The leaves are deep green and have red veins underneath. The tea has the aroma of orchid blossoms and the brewed tea has a wonderful flavor which leaves a long lasting after taste. The best Tai Ping Hou Kui Tea has a sweet aftertaste.

History
The tea was first invented in the early 19th century. Tea master Wang Kui Cheng decided to try to develop a new kind of tea which would redefine the areas tea production. He picked long leaves instead of the normal buds. He called his new tea "Kui Jian". His tea was an immediate hit and started selling for a lot more than the other local teas. In 1912 the tea became very famous when his son created some for the Nanjing Agriculture and Trade Department. Mr. Wang decided to give his name an even more auspicious and memorable name and changed it to "Tai Ping Hou Kui".

Fake Teas
Like all famous teas, there is more fake Tai Ping Hou Kui Tea than authentic. The flavor of the authentic tea is much different. The authentic tea has a much more pronounced orchid aroma and has a much longer lasting aftertaste. It is important to purchase your teas from reputable dealers to ensure you can enjoy authentic tea.

Visit our other Chinese Tea Varieties' pages:
Dragon Well Tea , Bi Luo Chun Tea , Huangshan Mao Feng Tea ,
Liu An Gua Pian Tea , Xin Yang Mao Jian Tea ,

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