A spring morning in Tài Píng, where the press-cloth tradition lives on
Every spring, I make my way to the foothills of Huáng Shān, where the mist clings to the tea gardens above the Tài Píng Lake. The Hóu Kuí cultivar — Shí Dà — is special here: its large, thick leaves demand careful handling. The picking standard is strict: one bud and two leaves, all roughly the same size, plucked only from late March to mid-April. This 2026 lot comes from a small family workshop I’ve been visiting for over a decade. After pan-firing, the leaves are laid flat on a board and pressed with a fine, checked cloth. The artisan uses a steady, hand-rubbed motion to imprint the characteristic stripe pattern — a technique passed down through generations. The final charcoal drying locks in the tea’s green freshness and nutty sweetness. I cupped this batch right after it was finished. The dry leaves already had that telltale orchid-leaf look, and the infusion delivered exactly what I look for in Hóu Kuí: a soft, chestnut-driven sweetness without any grassiness. I’m proud to offer this small 50-gram selection, which represents the pinnacle of Anhui green tea craftsmanship. — Zhou Xiang