Congou Keemun

I actually started the day at Tony’s, drinking a cup of Butiki’s Irish Breakfast, because that’s what I have there. Now I’m at home. The Harp Technician, Ed, is here. He comes to town every year, making adjustments on the big harps (kind of like going to the chiropractor), so that they sound their best. I recently restrung my harp as well, so it will be in top condition, just in time for all the HoliDaze gigs.

Nothing to say about this tea, as I’ve reviewed it many times, & I’m suppose to be working on my novel right now!

Maybe I’m the only person who has had a negative experience with a tea and then avoided all the tea’s like it from that point on. But, I don’t think that’s the case.
I’ll bet you that most of us have a tea or two that we go blech…and that’s it for us. It could have been a Pu-erh, or a Lapsang Souchong, or a Black Tea or Rooibos. Whatever it was we didn’t like that one tea and mercy be, just like a child with cough medicine, I AIN’T GONNA DRINK ANY MORE!
My ’ain’t gonna drink any more’ was Keemun. I had one from a great tea company that curled my hair and my toes and made me shiver in a bad way. BLECH! No thank you please!

Time passed. Tic Toc, Tic Toc, Sun Up and Sun Down.

A little over a week ago, I was looking at Butiki Tea’s and saw the Keemun’s (shiver). I trusted Stacy’s taste in tea. Hum. “I’m no whimp, afraid of a tea. I should give Keemun Tea one more try,” I said to myself. So I ordered this Congou Keemun.

Whatever possessed me? But OK, I could do this.

I made a whole POT of tea, careful NOT to over-steep (3 minutes).
The liquor was dark and savory but sweet smelling without a heavy maltiness.
I opened the lid on the teapot and really smelled the tea full force. Wow! Gravy! Steak and mushrooms! I couldn’t wait to taste the tea!
My first gulp was sweet! That was unexpected! Then tingling, slightly malty, floral flavors rose from the savory base playfully weaving around melding and separating at the finish.
There was smoothness and no astringency in every phase of tasting, and the body of this tea was higher than medium weight(which was best for additions).

I added a bit of sweetening and cream which was not only delightful but the additions didn’t HIDE the flavors in the tea.

As the tea cooled, the floral taste became an almost bergamot flavor.

This experience was nothing like my first Blech Keemun many months ago. This Keemun tasted great!

Stacy and Butiki changed my mind!

The point, try another brand or another type of tea to see if you like it a different way. All Lapsang Souchongs and Pu-erh’s and Keemun’s are not equal. Find someone who you trust or who knows about that type of tea and ask for advice. Try again and see what you think.

I liked this Keemun! It’s complex and has some of the characteristics that I remember loving in wine (yes WINE) when I worked for Fortino’s Winery back in 2003. Savory mushroom and floral notes with levels of flavor that are earthy and bright at the same time. Really nice!

I wanted to try this one quick in case the Cantaloupe & Cream sample stored with this was affecting it. It might be. It did have a slight cantaloupe flavor, like the other samples. Not good! Anyway, I must first mention that I was supposed to steep two teaspoons of this. I didn’t, as it is impossible with my infusers. (I know.. I really need to get a brew basket!) But the tea tastes great anyway. The leaves are black and twisty. I assumed all keemuns are slightly smokey, but this one isn’t. It has a lovely fragrance to it… a bit perfumey in the best way possible. The flavor is a bit sweet. I’m not sure about the mushroom comparison others are making — I’m not a fan of mushrooms! I’d say this is a medium bodied black tea (but again, I didn’t use the correct amount of leaves.) Somehow this is complex yet simple at the same time. I wish I could describe it better! thanks Butiki — I’ve never had a tea from them that wasn’t very high in the ratings from me!

I need to try at some point to sort out the various subtleties of straight black teas, so this is one step in the right direction, with a sample courtesy of Stacy at Butiki. Can’t say I’ve tried very many straight keemuns… just one, I think. And I honestly don’t much remember what I thought of it! So hopefully this one’s tasty.

The aroma is a bit fruity and…. play-doughy. The latter is usually a flavour associated with flavoured teas, so I can’t say why I’m getting it here, but it isn’t offputting.

Flavourwise… I don’t know what I was expecting, but I think this is exceeding my expectations! I’m getting a honey sweetness, and fruitiness… kind of like the Premium Taiwanese Assam in that respect, but not really any chocolate. These two tasty notes are backed by a malty black tea flavour which is fairly standard, according to my palate. There is some astringency, which I’m not fond of, so perhaps dropping the infusion time by 30s would be useful.

Overall, this is pretty good and makes me interested in trying more keemuns, but the astringency would be a bit of a problem for me, since I like to drink my tea straight and dislike when teas even hint at it. Thanks for the sample, Stacy!

I’ve always loved keemuns but I generally have them as flavoured teas bases.
I’ve always been impressed by their mellowness, their incredible mellowness and sweet taste, their total absence of astringency.

This one is of course no exception and I’m even more than impressed by this Congou Keemun. The leaves are so beautiful, so long and curly on the same time.
I have respected the 3 min steeping time and I get now a lovely dark brown colour, depth dark.

Tasting it I wonder if I made a mistake somewhere : I have the impression to taste a malty flavoured tea, flavoured with lovely natural notes of flowers, rose mainly, sweet rose.And I adooooooore rose ! so I was so happy and while drinking it, I can smell the liquor as well and this rose for sure.
I’m not enough advanced with my palate to detect mushrooms I think but it is absolutely not important because I’m already in love !

Sipdown!

Stacy sent me a sample of this one in my last order. This is a pretty good tea! There’s a sweet, floral, taste to this but there’s also almost a hint of cinnamon? in here. Ir’s not as strong and bold a cup as i normally enjoy but it IS really tasty and full of varying notes that play in and out of the brew.

Sipdown, 198. I have a lot of new teas, but of course I am complused to sip down all my one-cup samples first… they are mostly Butiki, so I will have quite a Butiki run on tasting notes, I think!

So once again the short story with me and keemuns: some of my favorite flavored teas have a 100% keemun base (and I love the base flavor), but I haven’t been able to find an unflavored keemun that I really enjoy. I figure between this and the Qimen that came in the Verdant Reserve Club this month, if I’m not feeling either of them then I am giving up on unflavored keemun.

Well, this one smells delicious. It smells more like some of the Fujian blacks I’ve loved… notes of molasses-y grains. There’s also a hint of a slightly smoky-floral note of keemuns that I am not as much a fan of, but it is only the barest hint. The flavor is very pleasant; this is definitely my favorite keemun I’ve tried so far! I would also consider this to be one of the lighter-bodied keemuns I’ve tried, which is what saves it for me I think. Most keemuns are too robust and strong, and that smoky-floral note is overwhelming to me. Here it is playing in the background, hinting at its presence. The main part of the sip is honeyed and a touch plummy. Yum! I don’t know if this will convert me to a keemun drinker, but it’s nice to have found one that I do like.

After lunch tea here. I’m not a big fan of keemuns but I do like this tea by Butiki for some reason. It’s also one of the only teas I have that seem to taste good with almond milk. I am enjoying that combination along with a pair of Hail Merry blonde coconut macaroons. Sooo tasty!

So I haven’t had many straight Keemuns before, one mayyybe two and they’ve turned up in blends from time to time. So when placing my Butiki order I thought I’d give this and the finest a try so I could make a more informed decision on what I think of the “Chinese breakfast tea”.

I followed the given brewing parameters hesitantly, bringing the water up to a boil, then held my breath for a few second and poured with a high arch, but I had no need to fear. I wound up with a very nice full bodied cup with little to no astringency. This is bakey, floral, a wee bit smokey and above all balanced. Oh and shroomy! Yes, here there be mushrooms.

It’s both masculine and feminine, strong and soft, malty and perfumey and very well rounded. It’s not what I normally seek in a black tea but I am beginning to appreciate what it has to offer. Sure beats harsh English Breakfast teas, as far as my palate is concerned anyway. Off to ponder, drink and compare. Mmm love what is lingering on my tongue right now! Thanks Stacy!

I’ve been meaning to experiment more with keemuns. I had a bad one once that kept me away for awhile but its time to try again now that my tastes are evolving. Thankful Stacy included a sample of this with one of my recent orders. I’m on my 3rd steep and have enjoyed every drop! I think keemuns are definitely worth exploring. Love the honey sweetness of this paired with the rich flavor. Not sure I taste all the other subtleties mentioned in the description, but this is a sweet enjoyable cup! Thanks Stacy!