Introduction to Taiping Houkui
Taiping Houkui is a traditional Chinese tea of the Han nationality, one of China's historical famous teas, and belongs to the green tea category of pointed teas. It was created in 1900. It has appeared in a series of unofficially selected “Top Ten Famous Teas.” Taiping Houkui is produced in Xinming, Longmen, and San Kou of Huangshan District (formerly Tai Ping County) in the northern foothills of Mount Huang, Anhui Province. The tea leaves are made from the Anhui provincial superior tea plant “Persimmon Big Tea,” and the shape of Taiping Houkui is two leaves embracing a bud, flat and upright, naturally spread out, with white down hidden, known as “The two ends of Houkui are sharp, neither scattered nor curled.”
Nutritional Value
Taiping Houkui tea tastes sweet, bitter, and slightly cold, and is a traditional natural health beverage in China. Over 500 chemical components have been discovered in tea, including the main components caffeine, tea polyphenols, proteins, amino acids, sugars, vitamins, lipids, organic acids, and over 28 types of inorganic nutrients such as potassium, sodium, magnesium, and copper. The combination ratio of various chemical components is very harmonious.
Product Characteristics
The shape of Taiping Houkui is two leaves embracing a bud, flat and upright, naturally spread out, with white down hidden, earning it the reputation of “Both ends of Houkui are sharp, neither scattered nor curled.” The leaf color is dark green and even, with veins that are green with a hint of red, commonly referred to as “Red Silk Threads”; it has a high orchid fragrance, a rich and mellow taste, clear green and transparent broth, and a tender green and bright base, with buds and leaves forming a full bouquet. The color, aroma, taste, and shape of Taiping Houkui are unique: covered entirely with white down, hidden but not exposed, when brewed in a cup, the buds and leaves form bouquets, either floating or sinking, in the clear green tea juice, as if there are little monkeys playfully frolicking before you. When tasting its flavor, a fragrant aroma fills the nose, rich and refreshing, with an endless aftertaste, evoking the poetic sentiment of “First infusion with a high aroma, second infusion with a rich taste, third and fourth infusions still retaining a subtle fragrance.” Taiping Houkui's finished tea is upright, slightly pointed at both ends, evenly flat, thick and robust, fully covered in white down, lush yet not prominent, hidden but not exposed, with a dark green color, the main veins of the leaves being liver-colored, resembling olives; when brewed in a cup, the buds and leaves slowly unfold, spreading out into bouquets, two leaves embracing one bud, either floating or sinking; the tea broth is clear and green, with a high and refreshing fragrance.
The history and folklore of Taiping Houkui originate from the Monkey Pit, Monkey Ridge, and Yan Village in Tai Ping County, on the northern slope of Mount Huang, China. Local legend has it that in ancient times, a mountain villager was collecting tea when he suddenly caught a whiff of an invigorating fragrance. Looking around, he saw nothing, but upon closer inspection, he found a few sprouts of wild tea growing in the crevices of a precipitous ridge. With no vines to climb and no path to follow, he could only leave disappointed. However, he couldn't forget those tender leaves and their fragrance. Later, he trained several monkeys, and during tea-picking season, he would outfit them with cloth sleeves, sending them to climb the cliffs and collect the tea. After people tasted this tea, they called it the “King of Teas,” and because the tea was collected by monkeys, future generations simply named it “Houkui.”
Manufacturing Method of Taiping Houkui
Picking
The fresh leaves of Taiping Houkui are particularly selective in picking. Around the Grain Rain period, when 20% of the shoots have developed into a bud with three initial leaves, picking can begin. Thereafter, batches are picked every 3-4 days until the beginning of summer, at which point picking stops, and production switches to pointed tea after the start of summer. The picking standard is a bud with three initial leaves, and strict adherence to the “four selections” is required: first, selecting mountains – high, shady, and fog-covered mountains; second, selecting bushes – vigorous Persimmon Big Tea variety bushes; third, selecting branches – strong, straight young branches; and fourth, selecting tips – the freshly picked leaves are “selected for tips,” meaning the breaking off of a bud with two leaves, to be used as raw material for making Houkui. The “tips” require that the buds and leaves be plump, uniform, whole, neither too old nor too young, with the edges of the leaves rolled inward, and the length of the bud tip and leaf tip must be equal to ensure that the finished tea forms the shape of “two leaves embracing one bud.” During “tip selection,” buds and leaves that are too large, too small, thin, curved, pale, purple, opposing leaves, diseased, or insect-damaged should not be selected (the “eight do-nots”). During “tip selection,” the discarded buds and leaves and single leaves are processed into “Houkui Pieces.” Generally, picking is done in the morning, sorting at noon, and processing completed on the same day.
Picking of Taiping Houkui should be done on sunny days, and picking is generally not done on rainy days. The “tip selection” process is also the process of spreading the fresh leaves. Short-term spreading is actually a light withering, causing a small amount of water loss, which facilitates fixation, and also contributes to the conversion of internal substances, playing a certain role in the formation of the fragrance and taste of Houkui. The manufacturing of Taiping Houkui involves four processes: fixation, preliminary drying, full drying, and final baking:
Fixation
A wok with a diameter of 70 centimeters, with a smooth and clean wall, is used. Wood charcoal is used as fuel to ensure stable pot temperature. The pot temperature is around 110°C, with a leaf quantity per batch of 75-100 grams. Stirring requires “lifting lightly, scooping cleanly, shaking open,” lasting 2-3 minutes. Before the end of fixation, proper shaping should be performed. The fixed leaves should have intact downy tips, connected stalks and leaves, naturally upright, and spread-out leaf surfaces.
Preliminary Drying
One fixation wok is matched with four drying cages, with temperatures of 100°C, 90°C, 80°C, and 70°C respectively. After spreading the fixed leaves on the drying cage, gently pat the top of the cage to make the leaves evenly spread out. After appropriate water loss, transfer to the second drying cage, first spreading out the buds and leaves evenly, and finally gently pressing the tea leaves by hand to make the leaves lie flat and embrace the bud, giving the tea an upright shape, requiring continuous drying and pressing. The temperature of the third drying cage is slightly reduced, and continuous drying and pressing is still required. By the time the leaves are transferred to the fourth drying cage, the leaf quality has become crisp and can no longer be pressed. When about 60-70% dry, remove from the drying cage and spread out to cool.
Full Drying
A leaf quantity of around 250 grams is used, with a fire temperature of around 70°C. A soft silk pad is used for continuous drying and pressing to fix the shape of the tea leaves. After 5-6 rounds of turning and drying, reaching about 90% dryness, remove from the drying cage and spread out to cool.
Final Baking
Also known as “old fire,” a leaf quantity of approximately 1900 grams is used. The fire temperature is around 60°C, continuously dried while turning. Avoid pressing. Once thoroughly dry, pack while still hot into a tin, lined with reed leaves, to enhance the fragrance of Houkui, hence the saying “Tea is grass, reed is treasure.” After the tea cools, cover and seal the tin.
Awards and Honors
On May 18, 2001, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission Jiang Zemin visited Mount Huang and praised Taiping Houkui tea as