What is Monkey green tea?
The best of Tai Ping Hou Kui (or “Monkey”) tea is grown in the small villages of Houkeng, Hougang, and Yanjiachun, at the foot of Mount Huang (Huangshan) in Taiping County, Anhui in China. Other areas in the region produce tea with the same name, but these three villages are thought of as the best in terms of the quality of tea that they produce, and as a result, their Tai Ping Hou Kui green tea is much more expensive and sought after.
The leaves for Hou Kai tea are picked from a large leaf variety of tea plant found only in the Anhui province: the Shi Da Cha. This plant's shoots are long, sometimes as long as 15 centimeters. It's sometimes called “two knives and one pole”, because of its appearance, each downy bud clasped by two straight, flat leaves. Unlike some inferior green teas, Hou Kui tea has a complex and sweet taste without any bitterness. It is very typically Chinese, in that it is less vegetal than other Asian greens.
Also known as Monkey Chief, Monkey Tea and Monkey King, Hou Kui has won many awards for excellence within China, where it is revered for its rare flavor and high quality. The fully hand crafted leaves are very aesthetically pleasing; flat, spear-shaped, tinged with reddish veins, and with a criss-cross pattern on them. The tea has a lingering, sweet aftertaste and flowery overtones, attributed to its growing conditions, shaded from direct sunlight. Shade-grown tea has increased sweetness and added nutrition.
Hou Kui green tea is grown in the area of the Huangshan mountain range which surrounds a large lake, around 700mts above sea level. Humidity and mists from the lake make for perfect growing conditions for the tea, creating moisture and shade as the plants grow in the nutrient and mineral rich soil of the mountains. And people work hard to care for this special tea! It is grown very high up on the mountain, which is a very steep and arduous climb and descent for those in charge of maintaining and harvesting the crops of tea. The harvest takes place just once a year, and only for two weeks – that must be an incredibly busy time, since all the tea must be carefully picked and then hand processed as quickly as possible to ensure minimal oxidization and the high quality that is synonymous with the name.
When steeped in hot water, the first infusion of the leaves produces an orchid-like aroma and a fragrant flavor, while the second infusion is said to be more full-bodied. It's a luxurious tea, and well worth trying to get hold of – but beware of fakes! As with most gourmet Chinese teas, there are lots of falsifications of Hou Kui. In fact, many factories do a good job of manufacturing convincing fakes that actually manage to look better than the real thing! Check that you're really getting what you're paying for. Genuine Tai Ping Hou Kui green tea is one of China's superior tea products, and renowned for its rich flavor and luxuriant qualities.
Useful Links:
http://www.adagio.com/black/golden_monkey.html
http://www.teacuppa.com/Kai-Hua-Long-Ding-Green-Tea.asp
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