Spring Keemun

Sipdown from a swap from Lala.

Maybe I’m not brewing it right, but I’m getting really fruity notes rather than the malty ones I was expecting. Either way, I’m not feeling this, but am glad to have another tea out of the way.

I feel really privileged to be able to try this limited edition tea! Thank you, Cavocorax!

I’ve been reading this amazing New Yorker article written after Hiroshima:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1946/08/31/hiroshima

It’s very intense, but I still think it’s mostly this tea that brought tears to my eyes this morning with its loveliness. No lie. It is wonderful. I will resteep later after lunch and I bet it will still be wonderful.

I’ve had this tea for quite some time, and I finally cracked the tin open a few days ago. What was I waiting for? Delicious! I find this malty, grainy and fruity. Somebody asked if I find this a little salty, which intrigued me. I kept looking for it, but, no. I think it would have been interesting paired with the graininess that I picked up on.

Another great sample from Sil!

This is really tasty. Dark chocolate, barley, malt, a hint of smoke, rich dried fruits – sweet and pleasantly bitter. Super smooth.

Initially I found this lacking in a full mouth flavour, but everything intensified and got more well rounded as the cup cooled.

Different from my usual Qimen, and I’m thinking that I need to make a point of trying more.

So this is a sample I got from Stephanie.

It is a tea…

I drank it. Umm, I forgot to write anything down and I recall absolutely nothing except that I kinda liked it. But really; I couldn’t tell you anything about what it tasted like. Whoops. But thankfully I’ve got enough for another cup, which I will most definitely actually pay attention to next time!

Sucks though; ‘cause the whole point of my requesting this one was that I wanted to explore more straight Keemun’s since I feel like I’ve tried so few plain ones. Straight assams are much more my jam…

Kinda bummed I didn’t write any tasting notes yesterday; the “word of the day” was a really fun one – Scuttlebutt (rumor/gossip). I really wanted to share it – which I guess I’m doing now, but it feels a little like I’m cheating? The word of the day is outdated! I can’t think of why you’d use this one instead of rumor though – unless, like me, you just really like saying it.

Anyway; the “actual” word of the day today is trajectory which is “The curve that an object travels along through space (such as a bullet, a rocket or a planet in its orbit)”. Not nearly as fun a word though, in my opinion.

This is one that I picked up last weekend at the Philly Coffee & Tea Expo. Per ounce, it was probably the most expensive item I got and I’m so glad I did. The dry leaves are lovely tight spirals with a delicious cocoa odor. As advertised, the flavor has all of the nutty, chocolatey notes of a good keemun, but softer. This one doesn’t hit me over the head and say, “Yo – keemun here – deal with it!” Rather, it offers warmth and comfort and relaxation. The website says they only have five left of this limited edition so I’m pleased to have this on in stock. BTW, second steep: same but less so. It’s a bit thin on the second steep. I think I’ll stick to one.

This is another sample from boychik. Thank you!

Keemun might just be my favorite type of breakfast tea. It is usually deep and chocolate or slightly woody. This is another awesome offering from A & D. I think all of these samples have turned me into an A & D fan girl. I might just have to try EVERYTHING from them:) Some keemuns have fruity flavor at the end of the sip, some have a smoke. This is just right in the middle. It doesn’t have much fruity, but more of a deep bread flavor. I am rocking the 2nd steep already and this is definitely making my morning. Thanks again boychik for allowing me to try this one.

Backlog:

I love this Keemun. I think that this may be the best Keemun I’ve ever tasted. So good. Rich, smooth, delicious. Very little astringency, just a slight dryness toward the tail. Honeyed caramel drizzled over tree-ripened plums. Mmm!

I love this.

This was my morning cup, thanks to Stephanie! :) I’ve been curious about this company for awhile now, but wasn’t willing to go all out and buy multiple ounces without trying them first. Swaps are awesome for that! So, the verdict? I think I’m in love with Keemun! Every one I’ve tried, I’ve enjoyed. This one was similar to TeaVivre’s organic superfine fragrant Keemun, which I recently discovered. It tastes like dark chocolate, apricots, and a little smoke. I think I’ve seen dark chocolate covered dried apricots before….that might be what this tea tastes like, except the smoke rounds out the sweetness. Absolutely the perfect morning cup! So, first tea tried from A&D is a winner. And, as far as price, it’s actually 17 cents cheaper than the TeaVivre one I mentioned; however, TeaVivre’s is organic, so makes sense. Anyway, I’m looking forward to trying more Keemuns in the future and would not mind it if this one landed in my cupboard!

This sample came from Stephanie (thanks dear). I don’t have a lot of experience with Keemuns in general, but this one seemed to get rave reviews and I liked the other tea that I tried from Andrew & Dunham. The leaves are very dark and slender, and they’re formed into little curls. I don’t really get a dry scent from them, but I’ve noticed that seems to be common for some black teas. I did a 3 minute steep at 200 degrees, as per usual for black tea.

The brewed aroma is very malty with some graininess. I can smell a little bit of spice (cinnamon maybe?) along with a touch of fruit. Holy smokes, this is a bready tea! It tastes like delicious whole-wheat bread with honey butter slathered over the top. Yums! There’s a little bit of a raisiny note, but it’s extremely mild and hides in the background. I also get a touch of floral near the end, but it’s not enough to make me like this any less. :P Thanks, Stephanie!