Bought this from the Twinings store at The Strand in 2014 and had a couple of cups at the tea bar. Was impressed by the vegetal notes, which was quite different from other green teas I’ve tried, so I bought 50g and took it home (to Australia).
The packet recommends four leaves per cup, which is what I started with, brewing at 80C for about 3 minutes. This produced a rather weak brew in which the flavour was barely discernible. I upped the dosage and left the tea to steep indefinitely and found the brew matched my experience in the Twinings store. The second infusion, also at 80C brewed indefinitely, was just as good.
The large flat leaves of the tai ping hou kui don’t seem to get bitter like other green teas and the flavour has a roundness to it that belies its sharp, bright colour.
I’ve since tried another tai ping ho kui at a Chinese teahouse (the variety is quite difficult to buy in Australia) and found that to have a more fragrant, grassy top note. This tea is not unpleasant but it is too easy to brew bland. I will enjoy the remainder of this packet but I won’t seek to buy it again.
Flavors: Vegetal
