Harney & Sons Tea Tasting: More Chinese Greens

Huangshan Mao Feng (back) and Taiping Houkui

Slowly and surely, I continue working my way through the Harney & Sons tea tasting guide. It's fun! Last weekend, I compared Huangshan Mao Feng (Yellow Mountain Downy Tip) with Taiping Houkui (Taiping Best Monkey Tea).

Closeup of Huangshan Mao Feng

Closeup of Taiping Houkui

The Taiping Houkui is a new tea to me. I find it very interesting. The tea leaves are long - some over two inches. Harney states that it's from a special cultivar of tea, prized for its long leaves. These are certainly the longest tea leaves I've seen. Also notice, in the image above, the hash marks on the leaves. This is an imprint from the canvas that the tea leaves are pressed between.

I brewed each tea at 175 degrees for two minutes. I didn't like the first brewing of either - very light. I brewed again at 3 minutes. Much more flavorful.

Huangshan Mao Feng, on the left, was light in color, aroma and flavor. I picked up a bit of sweetness. The Taiping Houkui was darker in color, aroma and flavor. It was quite vegetal, but pleasant. In my opinion, it's leaning more toward the Japanese greens in flavor.