Produced in An Hui, Yellow Mountain, China, Tai Ping Hou Kui is one of the top ten Chinese green teas! With its origin dating back to 1900s in Tai Ping village, in which back in those days, those village areas were named after animals, and in this case, the area this tea was from was called Monkey village.
Legend has it that the original tea plants were wild tea plants. Produced in Huang Shan’s eastern northern area, up in the high mountains, where it would have been difficult for tea makers to reach to, it was said that monkeys were trained to gather those tea leaves up from the high mountains, thus calling it Hou Kui, also known as Monkey King.
The appearance of this tea is truly very unique. The tea is made by 2 leaves, with each side remaining flat and not curving. The flavor is smooth with a nice aftertaste, and even with multiple tea leaves used for a brew, it will not get bitter. Back in 1915, this tea won top awards at the Universal Exposition World's Fair.
Tea production involves drying the leaves evenly in a cool area to deplete its grassy flavors and moisture. After drying the leaves, which makes the leaves softer, it goes through roasting at high temperatures, hand panfrying on wok, and then finally air drying.