Superfine Keemun Fragrant Black Tea

Keemun Black Tea is one of the four most famous black teas in the world, and this particular fragrant type is one of the best. Keemun Fragrant Black Tea is made only from spring tea, following the style of “one bud, two leaves”; the processing time for this tea totals about nine hours and includes steps such as lightly sun-withering, rolling, fermentation, drying, and manual kneading. This tea is fully fermented, bringing out a coppery-red liquid when brewed and revealing abundant golden buds in the leaves themselves. The unique Keemun fragrance and fruity, floral flavor makes this tea suitable for being brewed either in a gaiwan or in a more western style with milk.

	Cup Method		Chinese Gongfu Method
	Teacup: 12oz / 355ml		Gaiwan: 3.8oz / 110ml
	185℉ / 85℃		185℉ / 85℃
	2 Teaspoons / 2.5g Tea		5g Tea
	Brewing time: 1 - 3 mins		5 steeps: rinse, 7s, 7s, 15s, 30s, 40s Rinse time is around 5 seconds

Baita (which means White Tower) Tea Garden (白塔茶园) is located in Keemun County, the corn-producing area of Keemun black tea, in Huangshan City. There are more than 9,225 acres of ecologically-rated tea gardens here, including almost 3,000 acres of organic-certified gardens.

Keemun has a short (by Chinese standards) history, beginning in 1875 in Qimen. An unsuccessful bureaucrat by the name of Yu Gancheng decided to quit working for the government and instead try his hand at making tea. Due to the great demand and high prices for black teas at the time, he travelled to Fujian to learn how to make them; after returning to Anhui he introduced black teas to the area, which up until then had only produced green teas. Over the next decade or so, the processes and the teas themselves continuously improved, culminating in 1883 with what is now known as Keemun black tea. The amazing taste and aroma of this tea, combined with skillful marketing, resulted in this tea becoming an instant hit and led to it being in huge demand overseas in England and in the US. It won the international prize in the 1915 Panamanian World Expo.