Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: flat, sage green
Ingredients: green tea
Steep time: 1 minute
Water Temperature: 175 degrees
Preparation Method: glass teapot
Liquor: very pale green
I had never even heard of Tai Ping Hou Kui until fairly recently but it is fast becoming one of my favorite green teas. The leaves of this version from +TeaVivre were slightly smaller than the one I had previously reviewed from Bellocq Tea Atelier. They had the same distinctive flattened shape and interesting texture. The taste was delicately vegetal with an subtle floral note. It almost reminded me of sugar snap peas. The aftertaste was sweet and lingered nicely after each sip. It was not bitter at all and there was only a slight, pleasant astringency. My glass teapot holds just under two cups. I did three consecutive infusions and still found myself wanting more. Although my glass teapot worked well, I would like to eventually get a tall glass cylinder for brewing this type of tea. I love how much background information Teavivre’s site provides. They explain that this tea was originally developed in 1900 by a farmer named Wang Kuicheng. It also won a gold medal for best tea at the 1915 Panama World Expo.
You can find out more about this tea here.