This is the first of 2 teas I bought, and 3 samples I received from Vicony Teas Company. This grade is the second highest for Taiping Hou Kui (Bu Jian), however I also bought the highest grade of Taiping Hou Kui (Nie Jian) which has to be special ordered. When ordering, I was very impressed with the company’s assistance, and customer support. They had some of the best customer-company communication I have ever had while buying a tea.
Leaf Quality:
These leaves were very long, and paper-thin. They had a nice, light green color, as well as darker green parts. They were very delicate, and the slightest movement would crack the sweet-smelling leaves. Some leaves were as long as my forefinger, while others only as long as my pinky finger. There were not any pronounced grate marks on this Hou Kui, but I assume they will be on the Highest grade. After brewing, the leaves they smelled very vegetal. They were very elastic, but still delicate. They danced around the inside of the tall glass I brewed the tea. Only the top two leaves had been chosen for this tea. Very good quality leaves.
Brewed Tea:
The color of the brew was a very clear yellow-green. It was not in the least bit cloudy, despite me having brewed the leaves in the tall glass without a filter before removal. The brewed tea did not smell floral, unlike what I had expected. Instead, it smelled more sweet, like a sugarcane. As for the flavor: it was very light. The flavor was lightly sweet, and also floral (which was a surprise, because the scent was not floral at all). It had a very faintly vegetal finish.
It had a sweet and floral aftertaste, and honey notes could be picked up in the back of my throat while sipping. This is a very nice tea to introduce me to Vicony Teas.
Preparation
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Good job! I like that you used a glass and could watch the tea and set the leaves free. You took in every step of enjoying the tea. The dry leaves, the scent and color and taste last.
Thanks, Bonnie! I really liked the Taiping Hou Kui’s I’ve tried in the past. But something seemed missing from them. I found out that to get the optimum effect of this tea, you should use a tall glass. And it does change the effect. I’ll try the same technique for the other Taiping Hou Kui I bought.
I have to work taiping hou kui back in my rotation and do the glass trick.
Shorter steep times are also recommended for this tea, as well, because it has been pressed.
Good job! I like that you used a glass and could watch the tea and set the leaves free. You took in every step of enjoying the tea. The dry leaves, the scent and color and taste last.
Thanks, Bonnie! I really liked the Taiping Hou Kui’s I’ve tried in the past. But something seemed missing from them. I found out that to get the optimum effect of this tea, you should use a tall glass. And it does change the effect. I’ll try the same technique for the other Taiping Hou Kui I bought.
I have to work taiping hou kui back in my rotation and do the glass trick.
Shorter steep times are also recommended for this tea, as well, because it has been pressed.