TaijiPanda Afeng · Taiping Houkui Green Tea — Orchid Fragrance, Premium Gift Box, 2026 Spring Harvest

Most green teas whisper. This one speaks clearly.

Taiping Houkui — 太平猴魁, "Peaceful Monkey King" — is unlike any other green tea in China. Where most greens are delicate and retiring, Houkui is bold and unmistakable: flat leaves up to six centimetres long, two leaves embracing a single bud, pressed flat and dried with a distinctive crosshatch pattern that marks every leaf like a fingerprint.

It is the largest green tea in China. It is also, many would argue, the most complex.

Grown in the mist-shrouded valleys of Taiping County in Anhui Province — the same mountains that give the world Huangshan — Houkui has been a tribute tea since the Qing Dynasty. Emperors drank it. Poets wrote about it. And once you have smelled its fragrance — deep, floral, unmistakably orchid — you will understand why.

✦ What Makes Houkui Different

• The orchid fragrance — not a hint, not a suggestion; a full, clear, natural orchid scent that rises from the cup before you even take a sip; it is the first thing everyone notices and the thing they remember longest
• The size — each leaf is extraordinary in its dimensions; holding a single Houkui leaf is like holding a small piece of the mountain itself
• The taste — smooth, full-bodied for a green tea, with a natural sweetness and a finish that lingers; there is no bitterness here, only depth
• The crosshatch — the distinctive pressed pattern on each leaf is not decoration; it is the mark of the traditional processing method, applied by hand, that gives Houkui its characteristic texture and helps the leaf release its fragrance slowly and completely

✦ The High-Grade Gift Box

Houkui's extraordinary appearance makes it one of the most visually striking teas to give as a gift. The long, flat leaves arranged in the tin or box look like nothing else in the tea world — and the moment the recipient opens it and the orchid fragrance rises, the gift is already complete.

This box is designed for the occasion that deserves something genuinely remarkable: Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn, Chinese New Year, a promotion, a retirement, a thank-you that words cannot adequately express.

✦ How Afeng Brews It

A tall glass, so you can watch the leaves stand upright in the water — Houkui is one of the few teas that performs as beautifully as it tastes. Water at 85°C. Three minutes. Then sit with the fragrance before you drink. Let the orchid do its work.

At TaijiPanda, we believe the finest teas are not consumed — they are experienced. Houkui is an experience.

The Monkey King chose the highest peaks. So did this tea. So should you.

✦ Details

• Tea: Taiping Houkui (太平猴魁), Anhui Province
• Harvest: 2026 Spring
• Fragrance: Natural orchid
• Appearance: Flat, two-leaves-one-bud, crosshatch pressed, up to 6cm per leaf
• Brewing: 85°C water, tall glass recommended, 3 minutes
• Packaging: High-grade gift box
• Occasions: Dragon Boat Festival, Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn, corporate & milestone gifting
• Origin: Taiping County (Huangshan), Anhui, China