Taiping Houkui

I was worried the big stretched leaves would taste weak, but they brew up surprisingly rich and toasty. Steeping them in a glass lets you watch them unfurl, which is half the fun.

I brewed this in a glass so I could watch those long flat leaves unfold, and the flavor is nutty and toasty rather than grassy like most green teas I've had. You can tell the leaves were stretched and pressed flat by hand.

The leaves really are as big and flat as the description says, and they unfurl into this deep grassy sweetness on the second steep. I've been brewing it grandpa-style in a glass just to watch them stretch out, and it holds up for four or five refills without going bitter.