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“Surprisingly good, particularly for the price. This could end up as my “everyday” Keemun!” Read full tasting note
“I really want to like this tea. I just can’t get it to taste like it did the first time I made it. I used 2 teaspoons for an 8 oz cup. It wasn’t as mellow as the first few cups I steeped. The...” Read full tasting note
“This review is for the bagged version of this tea. I’ve never had Keemun Panda before, so I don’t have anything to compare this to. To me this tea tastes malty and smoky. I am not really getting...” Read full tasting note
“I was suprised by this tea. It was purchased from Amazon via the English Tea Store due to the incredible price. I wasn’t expecting much from it yet I was pleasantly suprised at it’s smokey flavour...” Read full tasting note
A winey, fruity tea wth depth and complexity. Takes milk well. Makes a bright and reddish brew.
Packaged in a vapor proof triple layer bag. Product of China.
Of all the China black teas available Keemun Panda #1 is probably one of the best known. Keemun is one of the congou-type teas; meaning it requires a great deal of gongfu, (disciplined skill) to make into fine taut strips without breaking the leaves. Interestingly the characters in the written Chinese script for time and labor are the same as those used for ‘gongfu’. It is often said that a properly produced Keemun such as Panda #1 is one of the finest teas in the world with a complex aromatic and penetrating character often compared to burgundy wines. Traditionally keemuns were used in English Breakfast tea.
Keemun is one the best-keeping black teas. Fine specimens will keep for years if stored properly and take on a mellow winey character.
The name Keemun comes from Qimen county in southern Anhui province, where almost all the mountains are covered with tea bushes. Qimen county produced only green tea until the mid 1870’s. Around that time a young man in the civil service lost his job. Despite being totally heartbroken and completely embarrassed by his shame, he remembered what his father told him – ‘A skill is a better guarantor of a living than precarious officialdom’. Following this advice, the young man packed up his courage and his bags to travel to Fujian Province to learn the secrets of black tea manufacturing. Upon his return to Qimen in 1875 he set up three factories to produce black tea. The black tea method was perfectly suited to the tea leaves produced in this warm moist climate with well drained sandy soil. Before long, the superb flavor of Keemuns became very popular around the world.
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I really want to like this tea. I just can’t get it to taste like it did the first time I made it.
I used 2 teaspoons for an 8 oz cup. It wasn’t as mellow as the first few cups I steeped. The delightful after-notes weren’t as noticeable. I’ll use less tea for the next cup and leave the 3 minutes steep time and the same water temperature.
This review is for the bagged version of this tea. I’ve never had Keemun Panda before, so I don’t have anything to compare this to. To me this tea tastes malty and smoky. I am not really getting a winey or fruity flavor out of it. The flavor is good, just not what I was expecting. The teabags from this company contain a lot of tea and produce a very strong cup, so be careful not to oversteep. Prepared with stevia.
I was suprised by this tea. It was purchased from Amazon via the English Tea Store due to the incredible price. I wasn’t expecting much from it yet I was pleasantly suprised at it’s smokey flavour and lingering feel. Not being a tea expert I wouldn’t profess to having found all the nuances of this tea, however I on the face of it I would say this is an excellent tea that produces a lovely dark red cup.
This tea is a steal for $21.56/lb. I need to purchase this one more often. Pretty much has everything I want from a Keemun black tea – winey, deep, and has strong “orchid” notes. Both simple and complex at the same time, a good representation of what I consider to be the best variety of black tea. Definitely punching above it’s price range. I find that this is perhaps only slightly less enjoyable than some of the pricier varieties I’ve tried, such as Hao Ya “A”, Hao Ya “B”, or Imperial Grade.
Good quality tea with excellent character and distinct smoky flavor, not quite strong as blacks from India, but it is not mellow as many Chinese teas that I have tried. Excellent price. I use it for the afternoon 5o’clock brew.
I started buying this tea years ago, and I used to get it in bags. I don’t know if it was just the crop at the time, but it was great. I am just finishing off my latest purchase, and the quality has dropped significantly. It is not just this order though, the quality has been declining for a while. Maybe they will boost their quality again.
