Green tea Taiping Houkui
It is also classified as a green tea. It is grown in Taiping County, Anhui Province. Its main place of growth is the Houkeng area near Lake Taihu, which is surrounded by water on three sides and a mountain range with peaks that form an inverted tripod on the fourth side - Phoenix, Monkey and Rooster peaks.
The plantations are located at an altitude of 777 meters above sea level among emerald mountains covered with clouds and fogs, in a subtropical monsoon climate. This place has developed a completely unique microclimate. Houkou began to be created at the end of the Qing Dynasty. At that time, tea producers from Nanjing opened a representative office in Taiping County to purchase local tea growing around the mountain peaks. Selecting young and tender leaves and buds, they made peak tea Houkeng, which was in great demand. At the same time, one of the tea producers, named Wang Kuichen, on the Phoenix Peak plantations, selecting rich, young and tender leaves and buds, carefully and painstakingly processing them, created peak tea Kui and named it after himself. Due to its excellent quality and specific features, it became the best of all the teas in Houkeng, so his name even replaced the original name and turned into Houkui.
Houkui is a straight, flat tea with two leaves wrapped around the bud and a naturally smooth appearance. It is often described as follows: "The two points of Houkui do not fray, stick out, or curl." The veins of the uniformly dark green leaf hide a red tint called "red silk thread."
When first brewed, Houkui produces a strong aroma, when brewed a second time, it produces a rich flavor, and when brewed a third or fourth time, it continues to exude a deep and elegant aroma.
Tai Ping Hou Kui became famous worldwide after winning a gold medal at the Panama-Pacific World Exposition in San Francisco in 1915. In 2004, Tai Ping was rightfully awarded the title of Lord of Green Teas at the International Tea Exhibition.