{"product_id":"taiping-houkui-2026-spring-hand-pressed-green-tea-anhui","title":"Taiping Houkui · 2026 Spring Hand-Pressed Green Tea, Anhui, Meta description (155 chars): Taiping Houkui 2026 spring, fully handmade. Anhui's famous large-leaf green tea. Orchid fragrance, naturally sweet, no bitterness.","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe first thing you notice is the size.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTaiping Houkui leaves are unlike anything else in Chinese green tea -- long, flat, held together in a distinctive crosshatch press pattern, each one a full two inches or more. Not broken, not rolled, not twisted. Whole and intact, exactly as they came off the mountain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen you brew it. The leaves open slowly in the water, standing upright, unfurling the way something does when it's been patient. The fragrance that comes up is orchid -- gentle, present, not showy. And the cup that follows is the kind that makes you put things down and just sit for a moment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhich is, for most people reading this, something they haven't done enough of lately.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's in the cup\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTaiping Houkui (太平猴魁) is one of China's ten famous teas, grown in the Huangshan region of Anhui province. The leaves are a specific large-leaf cultivar -- only these leaves can hold the size and structure the tea is known for. After picking, they are hand-pressed between bamboo screens in the traditional method, then dried. Every leaf is handled individually. There is no shortcut in this process.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe result is a tea that brews clean, sweet, and steady -- no bitterness, no astringency, just a long floral finish that doesn't announce itself so much as it settles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGood for\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— Stressed, overwhelmed -- the act of brewing and watching Houkui open is itself a slowdown\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— Can't focus -- the orchid fragrance and clean L-theanine profile sharpen attention without edge\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— Irritable, on edge -- this is not an assertive tea; it meets you quietly\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— Eyes dry and tired -- a reason to step away, look at something beautiful, and drink something that asks nothing of you\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTasting notes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— Fragrance: orchid, soft and persistent\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— Liquor: pale yellow-green, clear\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— Sip: smooth, sweet, no bitterness\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— Finish: floral, long, clean\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— Resteepable: 3–4 steeps, each a little quieter than the last\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHarvest \u0026amp; details\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— Harvest: 2026 spring\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— Origin: Huangshan region, Anhui, China\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— Style: Taiping Houkui (太平猴魁), hand-pressed flat, traditional method\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— Processing: fully handmade (纯手工)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e— Grade: first flush, large-leaf cultivar\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow to brew\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWater temperature: 175–185°F (80–85°C)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUse a tall glass or a straight-sided vessel -- the leaves need room and the visual is worth it\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLeaf ratio: 4–5 leaves per 300ml (Houkui is measured by leaf, not by gram)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst steep: 2–3 minutes. Add 1 minute each round after.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDon't rush the first steep. This tea opens on its own schedule.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"TeaGoodTea","offers":[{"title":"500g","offer_id":44142701772836,"sku":null,"price":128.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0771\/0379\/2164\/files\/teagoodtea_TaipingHoukui_20260505_004.jpg?v=1777963773","url":"https:\/\/teagoodtea.com\/products\/taiping-houkui-2026-spring-hand-pressed-green-tea-anhui","provider":"TeaGoodTea","version":"1.0","type":"link"}