Special Tribute uses tea leaves from higher-altitude gardens, resulting in a stronger aftertaste and a longer-lasting finish compared to the standard type. This tea is recommended for those who prioritize depth of flavor.
Product Details
Taiping Hou Kui is one of the top ten Chinese teas, renowned as one of the most prestigious since the Qing Dynasty.
The production area is in Hou-keng, Huangshan City, Anhui Province. The tea leaves can grow up to 6 cm, making them the largest among premium green teas.
Despite its robust appearance, the dry leaves have an elegant character, with an orchid fragrance and a rich, mellow taste. High-quality Taiping Hou Kui can be enjoyed up to the 4th infusion.
The brewed tea leaves are beautiful in appearance — the way they slowly move through the water is likened to the "Dance of the Phoenix."
Taiping Hou Kui is produced through a labor-intensive process — from plucking to manufacturing — resulting in uniformly shaped leaves that resemble exquisite pressed flowers.
Historical and Cultural Background
Taiping Hou Kui is a tea with a long history in China, first produced during the Qing Dynasty. It belongs to the category of point-shaped green teas representative of Anhui Province.
The name Hou Kui means "Monkey King." According to legend, a Monkey King who became ill and died in the mountains — overcome with grief for his lost son — transformed into a tea tree.
A farmer who witnessed this tragedy buried the body at the site. The following year, a tea tree sprouted from the burial site, believed to be the Monkey King's gesture of gratitude for the farmer's kindness.
The farmer tended the tree carefully, and the leaves it produced were of exceptionally high quality. Their unique aroma and flavor captivated the villagers, and the tea quickly became famous.
The production of point-shaped green tea began during the Qing Dynasty, and the name "Taiping" came into use naturally, as it was the most active production area in Anhui Province.
Taiping had a tea trade center where producers brought their tea to market.
Initially, tea leaves of various sizes — including fully grown leaves — were plucked to produce point-shaped green tea. Later, a man named Wang Kuicheng developed a method using one bud with one to two leaves.
The tea produced by this method was of high quality and highly valued in the market. Since his name was "Kuicheng" and the tea was produced in "Hou-keng," it came to be known as Taiping Hou Kui.
- 1900: Taiping Hou Kui was first exhibited at an exhibition in Nanjing hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce. The tea was highly appreciated and became widely known.
- 1915: At the World Expo held in Panama to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal, Taiping Hou Kui won a gold medal among several Chinese teas exhibited, including Keemun black tea.
- 1916: Won a gold medal at a commercial exhibition held in Jiangsu Province.
- 1955: Selected as one of the top ten Chinese teas.
- 1988: Won a gold medal at the first China Food Expo.
- 2004: Certified as "Tea King" at the China International Tea Expo held in Anhui Province.
Today, Taiping Hou Kui is also presented as a gift tea to foreign dignitaries.
Production Area Information
The production area of Taiping Hou Kui is limited to 3 villages — Hou-keng, Hou-cun, and Yan-jia — all located in Ximing, Huangshan City, Anhui Province.
The tea fields are situated in the mountains, surrounded by dense forests. The high altitude and forest environment create significant temperature differences between day and night, and frequent heavy fog contributes to the high quality of the tea.
The forest also provides natural fertilizers such as humus, enriching the soil and allowing the tea trees to thrive. The result is the rich and mellow flavor that Taiping Hou Kui is known for.
Particularly in Hou-keng, the highest quality leaves are produced among the 3 areas. The tea fields there face north and tilt slightly westward, avoiding strong midday sunlight.
The high altitude also creates significant temperature differences between day and night. In the Taiping region, days are warm and nights very cold. During the day, tea leaves absorb sunlight to produce the amino acids and carbohydrates necessary for growth.
These substances are essential to high-quality tea. If temperatures remain warm at night, the leaves consume the compounds stored during the day.
As a result, the flavor components diminish. Conversely, when nights are cold, the leaves retain what was accumulated during the day, producing tea rich in these beneficial compounds.
Varieties and Plucking
The tea variety is called Shi-da and is used exclusively for Taiping Hou Kui. Shi-da is propagated from seeds, with seedlings carefully selected and managed by Anhui Province.
The tea leaves are very large, oval-shaped, thick, soft, and covered with white hairs. Young buds are light green, while mature leaves turn dark green. The leaf surface is raised and the edges are wavy.
Buds grow to 2–2.5 cm. Tea leaves are plucked by hand under very strict management.
Beautiful Tea Leaves Like Pressed Flowers: Traditional Processing Methods
Jian-jian: Selecting Tea Leaves that Meet Various Conditions
After plucking, the tea leaves are brought to the factory, where they are re-examined for quality and only the finest tips are retained.
Selection follows strict criteria. Well-developed branches — one bud with three leaves — are chosen, and any leaves beyond the second are removed.
The first and second leaves must be level with the tip bud. One kilogram of leaves meeting these strict criteria contains 20,000 buds.
Sha Qing: Deactivating Enzymes through Pan-Frying
The purpose of Sha Qing is to deactivate enzymes such as polyphenol oxidase through heat, achieved by pan-frying.
When the metal pan reaches a surface temperature of 120–130°C, the tea leaves are added. The high temperature quickly deactivates the enzymes.
In other green tea production, pointed-bottom pans are commonly used, as they suit the production of tightly rolled, slender-shaped tea.
For Taiping Hou Kui, rough, loose, and flat-shaped leaves are required, so deep, flat-bottomed pans are used instead.
When the pan reaches 120–130°C, 75–100 g of tea leaves are added and fried for 3–4 minutes. The leaves are gently stirred from the bottom to the edge with the fingers.
The pan is then given 2–3 additional shakes to spread the leaves evenly, and the frying continues. This cycle is repeated 3–4 times. When the leaves become soft, the edges slightly crisp, the color deep green, the surface matte, and a pleasant aroma rises, the pan-frying is complete.
The leaves are immediately removed and spread on a bamboo sieve, which is shaken several times to dissipate heat. This cools the leaves, firms their texture, and reduces moisture to approximately 70%.
The leaves are then promptly moved to the next process.
Chu Hong: Shaping the Tea Leaves
This is the most crucial step in producing point-shaped Taiping Hou Kui.
The pan-fried leaves are heated in 4 bamboo baskets set at progressively lower temperatures: the first at 110°C, followed by 100°C, 85°C, and 60°C.
After cooling on the bamboo sieve from the previous step, the sieve is placed on the first heating basket. The edge is gently tapped to distribute the leaves evenly, and they are heated for 2–3 minutes.
The leaves are then moved to the second basket and heated for another 2–3 minutes. While still hot and pliable, they are lightly pressed with both hands to shape them.
The process is repeated in the third basket, and finally the leaves are moved to the fourth basket for a further 2–3 minutes, reducing moisture to approximately 30%.
At this stage the leaves are partially dried and already firm, so they are not pressed. The total heating time for Chu Hong is approximately 12 minutes.
The leaves are then spread on a bamboo sieve and cooled for one hour, allowing moisture to redistribute evenly from stem to leaf in preparation for the next stage.
The primary purpose of Chu Hong is to evaporate moisture and halt enzymes to preserve the green color, while simultaneously shaping the leaves.
Er Hong
After Chu Hong, 4–5 sieves of leaves are gathered and moved to the second heating stage. The basket temperature is approximately 80°C.
After spreading the leaves on the sieve, it is gently tapped several times to distribute them evenly. The leaves are then lightly pressed with the palm to strengthen their shape.
The leaves are turned every 5–6 minutes, repeating this 5–6 times over approximately 25–30 minutes in total.
When moisture is reduced to approximately 10%, the leaves are removed from the sieve and spread on a separate sieve to cool for 5–6 hours, allowing moisture to distribute evenly before the next process.
San Hong
After the leaves have cooled sufficiently, 0.5–1 kg are heated for the third time at 60°C. The leaves are turned every 5 minutes, repeating 6 times for a total of 30 minutes.
This stage uses a low heat (Wen-huo), developing a fresh green aroma (Qing-xiang).
When moisture content reaches 5–6%, the leaves are removed from the basket and cooled for 0.5–1 hour, completing the process.
