Taiping Houkui

Taiping Houkui

Taiping Houkui is a geographical indication protected product.

Taiping Houkui is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　       Taiping Houkui is a historic famous tea in China, created in 1900. In 1915, it won a gold medal at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. After the founding of New China, in 1955, it was rated as one of the top ten famous teas in the country.

　　        [Origin]

　　        Taiping Houkui is produced in Huangshan District at the northern foot of Huangshan Mountain. Due to the cool, humid climate, fertile soil, and misty environment of the origin, the tea has a unique quality: the tea buds are straight, plump, tender, and robust, with a grand appearance, dark green color, and white fuzz all over. It boasts outstanding characteristics such as clear green liquor, bright water color, strong aroma, mellow taste, and sweet aftertaste, making it the finest among tip teas. It won a gold medal and certificate at the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition; it was exhibited and sold in countries such as Bolivia in the 1930s; and in 1979, it earned praise from merchants across five continents in China’s export trade.

　　        [Quality Characteristics]

　　        The quality characteristics of Taiping Houkui: The finished tea is straight, slightly pointed at both ends, flat and even, thick and robust, covered with white fuzz that is lush yet not conspicuous, hidden yet not exposed, with a dark green color and leaf midribs that are liver-colored, resembling olives. When brewed, the buds and leaves slowly unfold, stretching out into a flower-like shape, with two leaves embracing one bud, either suspended or sinking. The tea liquor is clear green, the aroma is high and refreshing, with an enticing orchid fragrance, and the taste is mellow and pleasant. According to traditional grading: Houkui is the highest grade, followed by Kuizhui, then Gongzhui, Tianzhui, Dizhui, Renzhui, Hezhui, Yuanzhui, and Wanzhui, among other traditional tip teas.

　　        The picking of Taiping Houkui begins from Grain Rain to Start of Summer, when the tea has grown three or four leaves per sprout.

　　        [Features]

　　        The color, aroma, taste, and shape of “Taiping Houkui” are truly unique, characterized by a style described as “a gathering of swords and spears, a dance of dragons and phoenixes.” Each tea bud consists of two leaves embracing one sprout, flat, straight, and compact, neither loose nor curled, commonly known as “two blades and one spear,” and often described as “Houkui is pointed at both ends, never loose, never curled, never curled at the edge.” The leaf color is dark green and evenly lustrous, with leaf veins that are green with hints of red, commonly called “red threads.” The whole tea is covered with white fuzz, which is lush yet not obvious. When brewed, the buds and leaves unfold into flowers, either suspended or sinking, within the clear, tender green tea liquor, as if little monkeys are playfully posing for you. Tasting it reveals a fragrant aroma, mellow and refreshing taste, and an endless aftertaste, allowing you to experience the feeling of “high fragrance in the first brew, rich taste in the second, and lingering fragrance in the third and fourth,” with a unique “monkey charm.”

　　        [Picking and Production Process]

　　        Generally, picking begins before Grain Rain and stops before Start of Summer. The picking period is short, only about 15–20 days each year. Tea is picked in batches when it has three or four open leaves, and strict “four selections” are followed: first, selecting tea from north-facing, fog-covered mountain slopes; second, picking from vigorously growing tea bushes; third, choosing thick, straight, tender stems; and fourth, selecting plump, fuzz-covered tea leaves. The picked three or four leaves are processed by breaking off the stem from the second leaf, leaving the one bud and two leaves (the second leaf open), commonly called “pointed head,” which serves as premium raw material for making Houkui. Picking is usually done on sunny or cloudy mornings (before the fog lifts), with tip selection done in the afternoon. After processes such as fixation, rolling, and roasting, the tea is produced the same day.

　　        The superior quality of Taiping Houkui: The finished tea is straight, slightly pointed at both ends, flat and even, thick and robust, covered with white fuzz that is lush yet not obvious, hidden yet not exposed, with a dark green color and leaf midribs that are liver-colored, resembling olives. When brewed, the buds and leaves slowly unfold, stretching out into a flower-like shape, with two leaves embracing one bud, either suspended or sinking. The tea liquor is clear green, the aroma is high and refreshing, with an enticing orchid fragrance, and the taste is mellow and pleasant. According to traditional grading: Houkui is the highest grade, followed by Kuizhui, then Gongzhui, Tianzhui, Dizhui, Renzhui, Hezhui, Yuanzhui, and Wanzhui, among other traditional tip teas. It is now divided into three grades: the highest is Houkui, followed by Kuizhui, and then tip tea.

　　     [The Story of Taiping Houkui]

　　        In the late Qing Dynasty, tea houses such as Taiping Chun and Jiangnan Chun in Nanjing set up tea processing facilities in the Taiping production area to purchase tea and produce tip tea, which was then transported and sold to places like Nanjing. Jiangnan Chun Tea House successfully selected tender buds and leaves from the tip tea as high-quality tip tea for the market. Wang 0 (Wang Kuicheng), a tea farmer from Hokeng, carefully crafted robust, tender buds and leaves into Wang 0 Kuizhui on Phoenix Tip Tea Garden. Because the Kuizhui produced in Hokeng had a unique style and superior quality, far surpassing those from other origins, it was uniquely named after the place—Hokeng—and thus called “Houkui.”

　　        [Treatment]

　　        Taiping Houkui has a high, refreshing floral aroma, a smooth and sweet taste, and a unique “monkey charm.” Drinking this tea truly gives the feeling of “an orchid in a deep valley” or can be likened to a “noble princess from the depths of the mountains.” According to many enthusiasts, it has excellent therapeutic effects for chronic pharyngitis and frequent smokers.

　　       The Legend of Taiping Houkui

　　In Huanghoukeng, Taiping County, Anhui Province, a type of Houkui tea is produced. Speaking of Houkui tea, there is also a story behind it. Legend has it that in ancient times, a pair of white monkeys lived on Huangshan Mountain. They gave birth to a baby monkey. One day, the baby monkey went out to play alone, wandered into Taiping County, got lost in the heavy fog, and never returned to Huangshan. The mother monkey immediately went out to search. A few days later, due to exhaustion and the stress of searching for her child, the old monkey fell ill and died in a mountain pit in Taiping County. An old man lived in the mountain pit, making a living by gathering wild tea and medicinal herbs. He was kind-hearted. When he found the dead old monkey, he buried it on a hillside and transplanted several wild tea plants and mountain flowers next to the grave. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a voice saying: “Old man, you’ve done me a good deed, and I will definitely repay you.” But no one was in sight, so the old man didn’t pay it much mind. The next spring, when the old man returned to the hillside to gather wild tea, he found the entire hillside covered with lush green tea trees. As the old man wondered about this, he suddenly heard someone say: “These tea trees are a gift from me. Take good care of them, and you’ll never have to worry about food or clothing again.” Only then did the old man realize that these tea trees were a blessing from the divine monkey. From then on, the old man had a wonderful tea mountain and no longer needed to trek through the mountains to gather wild tea. To commemorate the divine monkey, the old man named the hillside “Monkey Hill,” the mountain pit where he lived “Monkey Pit,” and the tea picked from Monkey Hill “Monkey Tea.” Because the quality of Monkey Tea was exceptional and considered the best, it was later named Taiping Houkui.

　　 Tea History Tracing

　　         Taiping Houkui is a historic famous tea in China, created in 1900. Regarding the origin of Taiping Houkui, there is also a small story: In the late Qing Dynasty, Yechangchun Tea House in Nanjing set up a tea facility in Xinming, Taiping County, to purchase tea. To make a profit, the owner separately selected the tender buds and leaves from the finished tea and sold them at high prices to places like Nanjing. Wang 0 (Wang Kuicheng), a tea farmer from Hokeng, learned from the tea merchant’s practice and carefully crafted Wang 0 Kuizhui from robust, tender one bud and two leaves on Phoenix Tip Tea Garden. Because of its top-quality status among tip teas, it was named “Houkui” after the place of origin—Hokeng.

　　 In 1915, Taiping Houkui won a gold medal at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. After the founding of New China, in 1955, it was rated as one of the top ten famous teas in the country.

　　 Famous Tea Appreciation

　　         The color, aroma, taste, and shape of “Taiping Houkui” are truly unique, characterized by a style described as “a gathering of swords and spears, a dance of dragons and phoenixes.” Each tea bud consists of two leaves embracing one sprout, flat, straight, and compact, neither loose nor curled, commonly known as “two blades and one spear,” and often described as “Houkui is pointed at both ends, never loose, never curled, never curled at the edge.” The leaf color is dark green and evenly lustrous, with leaf veins that are green with hints of red, commonly called “red threads.” The whole tea is covered with white fuzz, which is lush yet not obvious. When brewed, the buds and leaves unfold into flowers, either suspended or sinking, within the clear, tender green tea liquor, as if little monkeys are playfully posing for you. Tasting it reveals a fragrant aroma, mellow and refreshing taste, and an endless aftertaste, allowing you to experience the feeling of “high fragrance in the first brew, rich taste in the second, and lingering fragrance in the third and fourth,” with a unique “monkey charm.” It is grown from a premium tea tree variety, with tea gardens surrounded by vegetation coverage of over 90%. The three natural villages of Hokeng, Hougang, and Yanjia enjoy unique advantages and are the main production areas of Taiping Houkui.