{"product_id":"tai-ping-hou-kui-sale","title":"Tai Ping Hou Kui (SALE!!!)","description":"\u003cp\u003eTai Ping Hou Kui, also known by it's nickname \"Monkey King,\" is one of the most unique teas in China. A relative newcomer in a country whose tea culture goes back centuries and millennia, the tea in its present form was developed in the early 20th century. But it is still considered one of China's Ten Famous Teas.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLike the Chinese epic novel, the Journey to the West, I feel like my journey towards carrying Tai Ping Hou Kui has been long and arduous. This is one of my favorite teas for a myriad of reasons. While I had a source I trusted for my own personal enjoyment, I hadn't found a source with appropriate provenance to retail on the site until now. \u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTry it \"Grand-parent\" style!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin\u003c\/strong\u003e: Hougang Village, Taiping Hu Zhen, Yellow Mountain City, Anhui Province, China\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrower\/Teamaster\u003c\/strong\u003e: Wang Shuangxi\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eElevation\u003c\/strong\u003e: 300m\/1000ft\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHarvest Date\u003c\/strong\u003e: Late April 2024\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCultivar\u003c\/strong\u003e: Shi Da Cha \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.forvo.com\/word\/%e6%9f%bf%e5%a4%a7%e8%8c%b6#zh\" title=\"Clicking this link will ask forvo.com for the pronunciation of 柿大茶.  If forvo doesn't yet have it, you'll be able to request them  to enter it into their database so that later you'll be able  to get it pronounced.\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e柿大茶\u003c\/a\u003e (Persimmon Large Leaf)\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCultivation\u003c\/strong\u003e: Natural (No chemical fertilizer, pesticide, or herbicide)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePlucking Standard\u003c\/strong\u003e: One bud with three leaves are plucked, then the oldest leaf removed for one bud and two leaves\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProcessing Notes\u003c\/strong\u003e:  Completely handmade in a labor-intensive process that creates its unique very large flattened leaf shape\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNickname\u003c\/strong\u003e: Tai Ping Monkey King (\u003ca title=\"Clicking this link will ask forvo.com for the pronunciation of 太平猴魁.  If forvo doesn't yet have it, you'll be able to request them  to enter it into their database so that later you'll be able  to get it pronounced.\" href=\"http:\/\/www.forvo.com\/word\/%e5%a4%aa%e5%b9%b3%e7%8c%b4%e9%ad%81#zh\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e太平猴魁\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHistory\/Pedigree\u003c\/strong\u003e: Developed in the early 20th century \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBrewing Suggestions\u003csup\u003e1\u003c\/sup\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWater\u003c\/strong\u003e: 170-180˚F\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTea\u003c\/strong\u003e: 2g per 4oz of water (20-25 leafsets\u003csup\u003e2\u003c\/sup\u003e)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSteep\u003c\/strong\u003e: 2-3 minutes with at least 4 infusions, starting to increase the steep time of the 3rd and subsequent infusions, or\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrandparent style\u003c\/strong\u003e: I just drink it like the elders do, simply drinking it after the leaves have infused for two minutes and pouring more water in each time my glass is down to about a quarter of the original amount of water. Preferably in a nice clear glass like these!\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTasting Notes:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ebrilliant green infusion; its aroma blends notes of cornsilk, orchid, and fresh grains with the scent of bamboo groves.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Detailed processing notes:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs they come in from the fields the oldest leaf of each leaf\/budset is removed, leaving a bud and two leaves. The leaves rest and wither during this process as the await further processing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring the “kill green” step\u003cem\u003e (\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003esha qing \u003c\/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.forvo.com\/word\/%e6%9d%80%e9%9d%92#zh\" title=\"Clicking this link will ask forvo.com for the pronunciation of 杀青.  If forvo doesn't yet have it, you'll be able to request them  to enter it into their database so that later you'll be able  to get it pronounced.\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e杀青\u003c\/a\u003e or \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.forvo.com\/word\/%e6%ae%ba%e9%9d%92#zh\" title=\"Clicking this link will ask forvo.com for the pronunciation of 殺青.  If forvo doesn't yet have it, you'll be able to request them  to enter it into their database so that later you'll be able  to get it pronounced.\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e殺青\u003c\/a\u003e), small batches of the fresh leaves are fried at 110°C in an iron metal wok, constantly moving the leaves in the wok for about three minutes at a time. This kills the enzymes that cause the leaves to further oxidize and keeps the color a fresh green.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo facilitate shaping the leaves, the temperature of the wok and fry the leaves is lowered for a couple more minutes and a skilled hand motion is used to squeeze the softened buds and leaves together.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe tea is now roasted for an hour in a wooden four-drawer oven using a charcoal pot at the bottom as a heat source. Each level of the cabinet is maintained at a different temperature: the lowest level at 100°C, then each subsequent higher level 10°C lower, with the fourth and final at 70°C. The tea is moved from bottom to top, gradually removing their moisture at each different levels of heat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo each leafset is laid flat between two layers of fine steel mesh screens and rolled to their famously unique shape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe leaves are then allowed to cool down for a few hours before being roasted one final time to reduce their moisture content to a shelf stable level.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe finished Tai Ping Houkui is then wrapped in cloth or paper and placed in a big ceramic pot. The ceramic pot uses powdered limestone at its bottom to absorb moisture. The limestone is covered with a wooden plank padded with large bamboo leaves. This short rest in this traditional storage is the final and most subtle step in Tai Ping Houkui’s production, imparting the tea with the gentle aroma of bamboo.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e1\u003c\/sup\u003e Brewing suggestions are just that. Try it the suggested way then experiment. In this case I suggest first experimenting with the quantity of tea per oz of water, then temperature. Timing and number of steeping can also be adjusted to personal taste. Some tea drinkers like to use slightly hotter and longer times for each subsequent steeping.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e2\u003c\/sup\u003e Weighing your tea is always the best way to control your dosage. I provide approximate volume measures for convenience but they can be problematic due to the variance in tea leaf shape and size.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Seven Cups","offers":[{"title":"2 oz","offer_id":48226944254106,"sku":null,"price":45.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"4 oz","offer_id":48226944286874,"sku":null,"price":114.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"8 oz","offer_id":48226944319642,"sku":null,"price":216.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"16 oz","offer_id":48226944352410,"sku":null,"price":433.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Sample (12g)","offer_id":48226944385178,"sku":null,"price":21.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1009\/8308\/products\/TaiPingHouKui-1.jpg?v=1658169921","url":"https:\/\/www.leavesofcha.com\/products\/tai-ping-hou-kui-sale","provider":"Leaves of Cha","version":"1.0","type":"link"}