太平猴魁 (Tai Ping Hou Kui)
Huang Shan, Anhui Province
Yu qian (before the rain) harvest
I can regale legends of how a monkey chief was once buried here by a kind-hearted farmer and out sprouted tea trees in an act of reciprocal respect from the animal after-life. Or I could give a more pragmatic spin and tell you how the moniker is a mash up of the name of a champion grower with that of the tea's village of origin. But the truth is, nobody really knows and nobody need care. Because the legend lives right in the cup, in this case, preferably a long, tall clear one.
For what grabs the drinker, what grabs the thinker in the first instance is the Monkey King's unique, elegantly long and slender, paper-thin spears. The effort it takes to produce this tea, is in a word, arduous. The shaping process alone requires three separate heating and cooling rotations to get the right pliability for the leaves to then be carefully pressed with a roller over a mesh tray (akin to manual screen-printing). So yes, taking your time to slide 20 spears vertically into a tall glass and watching the leaves "dance" in the body of water is not just an act of self-indulgence but an ode to the artisans that laboured over the production. And the taste? Just as sophisticated as its appearance, expect fresh young greens and sprouts, in a mildly viscous barley broth.
Taste: kelp, oatmilk, baby bokchoy.
Brewing*: Place 3g (approx. 20 stems) in a tall glass or pitcher. Pour 100ml of 80C water over the leaves and let stand for 1 min for the leaves to turn supple. Then pour another 100ml of 80C water onto the immersed leaves and watch the leaves tumble and dance. Total brewing time is 1:30.
For a second infusion, simply pour 200ml of 80C water over the wet leaves.
