Taiping Houkui [Mount Huangshan specialty in Anhui Province]

What is Taiping Monkey King? Authentic Mount Huangshan specialty in Anhui: Taiping Houkui? This article is a special article that introduces in detail the special product of Mount Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province - Taiping Houkui? What are the product features of Taiping Monkey King? How did the history of Taiping Monkey King come about? The production method of Taiping Monkey Kui, the awards and honors of Taiping Monkey Kui, and the tasting and eating methods of Taiping Monkey Kui

Basic introduction of Taiping Houkui

Taiping Houkui is a traditional Han Chinese famous tea, one of the historical famous teas in China, and belongs to the category of green tea and pointed tea. Created in 1900. It has appeared in the unofficial selection of the "Top Ten Famous Teas" series. Taiping Houkui is produced in Xinming, Longmen and Sankou, Mount Huangshan District (formerly Taiping County), the north foot of Mount Huangshan City, Anhui Province. The raw materials for tea are selected from Anhui Province's provincial-level high-quality tea tree "Persimmon Tea" for production and processing. The appearance of Taiping Houkui has two buds, flat and straight, naturally stretched, and hidden white hairs. It is known as "Houkui has two pointed ends, neither loose nor curled edges"

What is the nutritional value of Taiping Monkey Kui

The appearance of Taiping Houkui is two leaf bud hugging, flat and straight, naturally stretched, with hidden white hair, and is known as "Houkui with pointed ends, neither loose nor curled edges". The leaves are pale green and smooth, with green veins and hidden red, commonly known as "red silk thread"; Orchid fragrance is refreshing, with a mellow and sweet taste. The soup has a clear green color, and the leaves are tender and bright. The buds and leaves are plump and plump

The color, aroma, taste, and shape of Taiping Monkey King are all unique: covered in white hair, it is contained but not exposed. When brewed in a cup, the buds and leaves bloom, hanging or sinking. In the clear and tender green tea juice, it seems that many little monkeys are playfully playing with you. The taste is fragrant and pleasant, mellow and refreshing, with an endless aftertaste. It has the artistic conception of "high aroma in the first bubble, strong flavor in the second bubble, and lingering fragrance in the third and fourth bubbles"

The finished tea of Taiping Monkey Kui is straight, slightly pointed at both ends, flat and even, thick and strong, with white hair all over the body, lush but not visible, containing but not exposed, with a green color, and the main veins of the leaves are pig liver color, like olives; Brewing in a cup, the buds and leaves slowly unfold and bloom into flowers, with two leaves embracing a bud, either hanging or sinking; The tea soup is clear green and has a refreshing aroma

"Taiping Houkui" is produced in Houkeng, Hougang and Yancun, Taiping County, north of Mount Huangshan Mountain, China. According to local legend, in ancient times, a mountain villager was picking tea when he suddenly smelled a refreshing fragrance. Looking around, there was nothing left. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that there were several clusters of tender green wild tea growing between the rocky crevices of the rugged mountains. There are no vines to climb or paths to follow, so I have to leave in a sad mood. But he never forgot the tender leaves and fragrance. Later, he trained several monkeys, and during the tea picking season, he would cover them with cloth and let them go rock climbing and picking on behalf of others. After tasting this type of tea, people called it the "King of Tea" because it was picked by monkeys, and later generations simply named it "Monkey King"

The production method of Taiping Monkey Kui

Picking

The fresh leaves of Taiping Monkey Kui are harvested with special attention to detail. Before and after the Grain Rain, when 20% of the shoots have grown to the point where one bud and three leaves have first bloomed, the garden can be opened. After 3-4 days, a batch of tea will be harvested, and it will be stopped at the beginning of summer. After the beginning of summer, it will be transformed into premium tea. The picking standard is the initial development of one bud and three leaves, and strict adherence to the "four picking": picking mountains, picking high mountains, shady mountains, and tea mountains shrouded in clouds and mist; Second selection of clusters, selecting tea clusters of flourishing persimmon tea varieties; Pick three branches, select thick and straight tender branches; Four picking tips, the fresh leaves collected need to be "picked tips", that is, the "tip" with one bud and two leaves folded off is used as the raw material for making monkey charms. The "pointed tip" requires that the buds and leaves be plump, evenly branched, moderately old and tender, the leaf edges are curled back, and the length of the bud tip and leaf tip are equal, to ensure that the tea can form a "two leaves embracing one bud" shape. When picking tips, avoid using buds or leaves that are too large, too small, thin, bent, pale in color, purple buds, or leaves that are stuck or affected by pests or diseases (known as the "Eight Don'ts"). When picking tips, the removed buds, leaves, and single pieces are all processed into "Kui Pian". Usually collected in the morning and picked at noon, and completed on the same day

The picking of Taiping Monkey King should be carried out on sunny days, and generally not on rainy days. The process of picking tips is also the process of spreading fresh leaves. Short term spreading is actually a mild withering process that causes a small amount of dehydration, making it easier to kill, and also beneficial for the transformation of the contents, which plays a certain role in the formation of the fragrance and taste of macaque. The manufacturing process of Taiping Monkey Kui includes four steps: withering, hair drying, foot drying, and re baking. The withering process uses a bucket pot with a diameter of 70 centimeters, and the pot wall should be smooth and clean. Using charcoal as fuel to ensure stable pot temperature. The pot temperature is around 110 ℃, and the amount of leaves added to each pot is 75-100 grams. Stir frying requires "carrying lightly, fishing cleanly, and shaking open", lasting 2-3 minutes. Before the end of the filming, it is important to organize appropriately. To kill green leaves, it is required to have intact tips, connected stems and leaves, natural straightness, and a stretched leaf surface

Hair drying

Mix one pan with four drying baskets, and set the fire temperature to 100 ℃, 90 ℃, 80 ℃, and 70 ℃ respectively. After spreading the withered leaves on the top of the oven, gently pat the top to make the leaves spread evenly and flat. After losing some water, turn it over to the second drying stage. First, spread the buds and leaves evenly, and then gently press the tea leaves with your hands to make them flat and hold the buds. The shape should be straight, and you need to press them while drying. The third baking temperature has slightly decreased. Still need to be baked and pressed at the same time. By the time it reached the fourth drying stage, the leaf quality was completely unbearable. When it is 60-70% dry, let it dry and cool down

Foot drying

The amount of leaves to be added is about 250 grams, and the fire temperature is about 70 ℃. A brocade cushion should be used to dry and press while fixing the shape of the tea leaves. After 5 to 6 rounds of flipping and drying, about 90% of it is dried, and then spread out for drying

Double roasting

Also known as roasting, the amount of leaves added is about 1900 grams. The fire temperature is around 60 ℃, and you can flip while drying. Do not suppress. After the feet are dry, they are packed in a tube while it is still hot. The tube is filled with bamboo leaves to enhance the fragrance of the monkey, hence the saying 'tea is grass, bamboo is treasure'. After the tea cools down, cover and weld it

Honors of Taiping Houkui

On May 18, 2001, Jiang Zemin, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the State and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, visited Mount Huangshan Mountain and drank Taiping Houkui tea and praised it as "good tea"

In 2005, it won the special gold medal at the Mount Huangshan (Shanghai) Tea Fair in China. At the auction, 100 grams of Taiping Houkui tea set a record price of 159000 yuan, which caused a sensation in the tea industry

On March 26, 2007, Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the People's Republic of China and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the "Year of China" exhibition held in Russia, and personally presented four famous Anhui teas, including Taiping Houkui and Mount Huangshan Maofeng, as national tea gifts to Russian President Putin

On November 25, 2010, at the Fourth Cross Strait Tea Expo and Wuyishan Tea Festival, "Houkeng" brand Taiping Houkui won two awards: "Golden Bud Award" and "China's Top Ten Green Tea Brands". The "Golden Bud Award" is a heavyweight award in the Chinese tea industry and Chinese tea brands, known as the "Oscar". It only produces one iconic brand of Chinese green tea (black tea, white tea, yellow tea) and ten of China's top ten green tea (black tea) brands. Its preciousness and top-notch specifications have greatly promoted the healthy development of the Chinese tea industry, cultivated the brand awareness of Chinese tea enterprises, and increased the popularity of Chinese tea brands among consumers nationwide

Tasting and Eating Methods of Taiping Houkui

As a variety of green tea, Taiping Houkui tea has a sweet aftertaste compared to other tea products. Even if too much tea is added during brewing, it will not be bitter. However, if too much tea is added during brewing, it will become bitter. Moreover, Taiping Houkui tea is relatively easy to brew

1. When brewing tea, we can choose a straight glass cup, so that we can enjoy the process of tea leaves spreading in the water during the brewing process

2. Take three to five grams of tea leaves from the packaging bag and place them in a cup. We can place the roots of the tea leaves facing downwards, which not only looks more beautiful, but also makes it easier for us to appreciate

3. Pour in boiling water at around 90 degrees Celsius. When brewing for the first time, do not add too much water until almost halfway through. Wait for the tea leaves to slowly spread out.

4. When the tea leaves are about to spread out, add a second round of boiling water and wait for a few minutes until the temperature of the tea is about the same before drinking. When drinking, do not drink all at once, leaving about one-third for later brewing