As one of the key ingredients in the famous English Breakfast tea, Keemun black tea is justifiably considered one of the finest black teas in the world. It's strong aroma and taste hints at both flowers and fruit, but is well balanced and always leaves you wanting more.
When you look at TeaVivre's Keemun you will see thin, twisted buds that have been carefully hand-rolled to avoid breakage but allow the buds to fully oxidise during processing.
A perfect breakfast tea, Keemun is the key ingredient in many breakfast blends, notably English Breakfast and Russian Caravan. It is great to drink by itself, or with milk or sugar.
Brief Health Info
Keemun black tea is fully oxidised, and so does not have the same level of antioxidants as our Green or White teas. However it still makes a great healthy tea to drink, especially if drunk with no or minimal milk and sugar, and provides a great natural source of fluoride and other vitamins.
For more information on the health benefits of TeaVivre's Black Teas, see our article on Tea Health benefit.
How to Make Tea
Keemun is best brewed in a Purple-sand or porcelain tea set. One to two teaspoons of leaves should be used for each cup of tea. It should be brewed in water that is around 194 ºF (90 ºC) for 2 to 3 minutes. This also will help pre-heat the teapot, which is a good idea given the longer brewing time best for this tea. Keemun can be brewed 3-4 times depending on your taste, with an additional minute being added to the steeping each time.
Be careful with this tea to not overbrew it, as you will then loose much of the complex, subtle rich tastes that are its highlights.
For more information on some of the skills and arts of brewing tea, check out our article on How To Make Tea.
Where is TeaVivre's Keemun black tea produced
All 3 grades of TeaVivre's Keemun teas come from Anhui Keemun Black Tea Development Co., Ltd. They are well known to produce some of China's most sought after Keemun teas, illustrated by their Keemun winning gold medal for best tea at the Shanghai World Expo.
Established in 2000, they have about 2,500 acres of tea gardens, including about 1,400 that have been independently certified as organic.
Their gardens are all at about 1,200ft elevation, surrounded by high, forest covered mountains – perfect to ensure an ideal, mild, wet, climate for growing tea. They have also had ISO9001 certification since 2008 and in 2009 began their own limited exporting.
History
Keemun has a short – by Chinese standards – history that begun in 1875 in Qimen. An unsuccessful bureaucrat by the name of Yu Gancheng decided to quit working for the government and try his hand at tea making. Due to the great demand and high prices for black teas at the time, he travelled to Fujian to learn how to make black tea. Returning to Anhui he introduced black teas to the area, that up until then had just made green teas. Over the next decade or so, the process and tea continuously improved, culminating in 1883 with what is now known as Keemun black tea.
The amazing taste and aroma of this tea, combined with good marketing, combined to make this tea an instant hit, and was in huge demand overseas in England and the US. It won international prize in 1915 Panamanian world Expos.
Dragon Well Green Tea (Long Jing)
$8.90
Blueberry Fruit Tea
$6.50
Bailin Gongfu Black Tea
$8.90
Rating *:
Best Keemun I have ever tasted. Tastes like Keemun is supposed to taste-only better.
Rating *:
The best keemun I have tried. Smells like dark chocolate and has a similar taste with some maltyness. The malt subsides in later infusions but keeps a strong infusion
Rating *:
Quite delicious Keemun, even when cold brewed. It's light body and smoky roasted notes makes it perfect for those that aren't fans of strong black tea. It's hard to overbrew it, since it releases just a bit of bitterness.
When cold brewed it gets more defined taste that is sweet and vegetable, accompanied with smokiness and sweet pea aftertaste.
Rating *:
As others have noted, the aroma is unexpected yet the flavour is exactly as described. This tea is definitely best steeped in water below boiling, if this is heeded, a delicious brew results.
Rating *:
Simply great. Slight smokiness was a surprise, but as previously noted, only served to accentuate the aroma and flavor once brewed. Nicely rounds out the dried fruit accord. Quite pleasant overall - makes for a satisfying morning cup.
Rating *:
I was surprised, when I opened this up, to be greeted by a nice, smoky aroma. Smokiness is not really something I associate with Keemun, but I’m not complaining. I love smoky teas.
The flavor is more what I was expecting: Lovely and silky smooth. The hint of smoke that came with it just served to bring out the other flavors.
With very few exceptions, I think of black teas as morning teas, delicious but too strong to drink later in the day. This is one of the exceptions; it was nice to wake up to, but I think I preferred the second pot I’ve been sipping all afternoon. It’s too nice and mellow to be relegated to the morning.
(Sample provided gratis by TeaVivre for review.)
Rating *:
I really enjoyed this tea. it is smooth and flavorful. One teaspoon is plenty for a large cup of tea. I recommend it.