Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Ying Kee Tea House - Queen Peony White Tea



I bought some tea from Ying Kee tea house in Hong Kong. I had purchased their premium golden crown TGY (hk$240), queen peony white tea (hk$40) and phoenix daffodil danchong (hk$120). The total purchase of hk$400 (us$50) made me happy as the TGY is one of my fav TGY. Even though this TGY is slightly expensive (120g), I enjoy the very traditional robust flavor which I do not find in the other TGYs which is lighter and more floral in taste. I will purchase a bag of Ying Kee's crown TGY whenever I am in Hong Kong. It is convenient for me as Ying Kee has 14 outlets and even has one at the airport.

The Queen Peony white tea is one of the 6 white teas offered for sale at Ying Kee (see the web site for all products - http://www.yingkeetea.com/index.php?cat=pricelist). One characteristic of white tea is that white tea do not undergo any processing (fermentation, rolling, frying, steaming etc). The tea leaves are harvested and simply left to wither naturally before it is packed for sale. The 'white' in the tea refers to the white hairs on the tea leaves (see pix 2).

I find this tea to be very delicate in color, taste and aroma. The brewed tea is light yellow and the aroma faintly floral. When I sip the tea, the taste is very light and I felt the taste concentrated on the back of the tongue. It is really nice and light with a nice tasty sweet sensation.......and I chose queen peony, which was the second most expensive white tea in the shop, as the sales staff told me it had the most robust taste of the white tea range. I was also reminded not to use boiling water for brewing but to allow the boiling water to cool off for 2 minutes before brewing the tea. (she said for optimal taste). This 60g bag of white tea costs me hk$40 (us$5), which I think merits a buy consideration when you happen to be in Hong Kong.




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