Choosing the Highest Quality Keemun Chinese Black Tea

One of the ten most famous teas in China, and indeed, one of the most delicious and famous teas in the world, Keemun black tea is produced in Qimen county in the Anhui Province of China. Additionally, generally speaking there are three major types of black teas that are considered to hold the most intense fragrance of all black teas in the world include Keemun black tea, as well as Darjeeling and Ceylon tea, respectively.

One of the ten most famous teas in China, and indeed, one of the most delicious and famous teas in the world, Keemun black tea is produced in Qimen county in the Anhui Province of China. Additionally, generally speaking there are three major types of black teas that are considered to hold the most intense fragrance of all black teas in the world include Keemun black tea, as well as Darjeeling and Ceylon tea, respectively.

All teas produced in Qimen county are of the highest quality and considered top grade teas.  Some of the delectable teas offered from Qimen from Teavivre include: Keemun Haoya, Keemun black tea – 1st grade and Keemun black tea – 2nd grade. Keemun Haoya is the premium Keemun tea, which is rich with bright golden tips and a deep rich flavor.

Keemun Haoya Black Tea

Keemun Haoya Black Tea

Keemun is a widely cherished and celebrated tea all over the world, and has gathered much international attention and renown for its flavor and aroma. Along with having a reputation for flavor and quality throughout the world, It is also popular in England where it is said to be enjoyed by the Queen of England and other members of the Royal Family. Keemun black tea has also won the Panama Gold Medal Prize Keemun enjoy a high reputation in the world, it is the popular drink of the Queen of England and its royal family. It also holds the honor of winning the golden medal at the 1915 Panama World Exposition, making it the most famous black tea in China.

Keemun tea has a rich and delicious flavor, but the dried leaves are also quite beautiful with dark tight and slim leaves which hold a slightly fruity undertone to the aroma, with subtle nuances of orchid flowers.

As Keemun black tea is one of the most famous and scrumptious teas in the world market, there are several ways to evaluate the Keemun black tea you are purchasing to determine the quality of the tea itself. Here are some tips to help you to select a top grade Keemun black tea:

The Appearance of the Dried Leaves: Keemun black tea have beautiful deeply dark leaves, which should be very tight and slim. The looser and coarser the leaves are, the lower the quality of the teas. You should also look for bright, dark leaves, and avoid old or faded tea leaves.

Keemun Maofeng Black Tea

Keemun Maofeng Black Tea

Observing the Brewed Tea Leaves: Quality can also be determined by closely observing the brewed tea leaves and resulting brew. A high quality one will have soft and tender leaves once brewed and will present a bright red color to the tea. If the brewed leaves are extremely dark and not tender, they are of lower quality.

Brewed Tea Leaves

Brewed Tea Leaves

The Color of The Brewed Tea: As mentioned above, a higher quality Keemun will have bright coppery-red tones, but the tea liquor should also remain clear. An inferior Keemun will produce not only a darker brew, but may be cloudy as well.

Keemun black tea – 1st grade
Keemun black tea – 1st grade
Keemun Haoya
Keemun Haoya Black Tea
Keemun Maofeng
Keemun Black Mao Feng Tea

The Color of the Dried Leaves: To help evaluate the quality of a Keemun black tea before purchasing it, you may observe the dried tea leaves to check for quality. A high quality Keemun will have a bright and shiny bold color that is consistent throughout the batch of tea. Stay away from Keemun teas which are dry and dull colored, or faded with inconsistent flat colors.

Evaluating Flavor and Aroma: You can also evaluate the quality of a Keemun black tea by enjoying the flavor and aroma of this one of a kind, incredible Chinese tea. A high quality Keemun tea will have a rich mellow flavor and aroma, with little to no astringency, with a deep black tea flavor. Lower quality Keemun teas may taste bitter, or have little to no flavor, and may even possess a grassy smell which is not a good thing for a Keemun tea to have.

Additionally, some low quality Keemun teas may use artificial coloring to present the appearance of quality, and this causes the resulting tea to taste bitter and too light. If the tea contains artificial coloring, the appearance of the coloring on the leaves will not appear consistent.

Now that you have a guide to choosing the highest quality Keemun Chinese black tea and can appropriately choose the highest quality Keemun, please read our article on properly brewing Keemun black tea so that you may enjoy you Keemun tea to the fullest.


If you enjoyed this article on tea, you might also like to read the following articles:

Keemun Black Tea Information and Brewing Tips

Chinese Tea History Part Ⅱ – Black Tea History

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