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“YUM! thank you Little Red Cup for this generous sample! This was the tea to kick off my morning at work and man it did the trick. As with all keemuns, i added a splash of maple syrup and it was...” Read full tasting note
“This poor tea! This is my third cup and every time I try to review it, something prevents me. This last time I just lost my note because I opened up 8tracks in another tab of my browser and...” Read full tasting note
“This tea has exceeded my expectations. There’s a lot going on with this tea that I thought was pretty straight-forward. This time, on the first steep I was picking up on some pepper notes. They...” Read full tasting note
“For those who might be wondering, no, I have not abandoned my sipdown extravaganza. I just haven’t had a chance to list the last couple of days worth of teas. All the empty packages are sitting on...” Read full tasting note
You could drink Little Red Cup Keemun Black tea because it’s organic. Or you could drink it because it’s Fair Trade. You could drink it because it’s the epitome of simplicity in Chinese tea or you could drink it because it’s whole leaf. We drink it for all those reasons, but mostly because this is one great tea.
Most people experience black tea as a fairly bland brew in a metal teapot in a Chinese restaurant, or else as an adulterated product, such as English Breakfast tea. But ours is a fabulous tea– rich, robust, with wisps and hints of flower and fruit.
Our years in China have left us accustomed to drinking black tea hot and straight. Left to steep, this tea will get fairly strong, so we suggest starting with less tea or more water until you find a brewing strength you enjoy. Keemun Black tea originated in Qimen County, in southern Anhui Province in the late 19th Century.
We are very pleased to be able to offer fully organic, Fair Trade certified Keemun to you. This is not only one of the best black teas made, it is one of China’s best teas ever.
We're a family-owned Maine company dedicated to importing traditional high quality Chinese tea. Our teas are organic, Fair Trade, whole leaf, and always delicious. Little Red Cup tea is a revelation, if not a revolution.
I am getting ready to place an order with LRC, so I decided to hop online and pick the two teas I had rated the highest to reorder. Imagine my surprise when I realized that for some reason I never posted my review of this tea, which is a shame because I’ve really come to enjoy it. I think that I may have been in the middle of reviewing the samples that Martin from Little Red Cup Tea Co. sent me when my husband got sick and ended up having surgery, because on further inspection I only posted reviews for half of the teas. I was a bit distracted during that time and am just now getting back in the swing of being able to write every day. Hopefully I’ll be able to post reviews of the other teas soon.
Once upon a time I was a huge fan of smoke teas, but anymore I could really live without them. I remember writing recently about another smoke tea, I believe it was a Lapsang Souchong, and mentioning that I felt that I had outgrown them. I’m not sure that is a completely accurate statement, I think I’ve just been bored with them because I’ve run into so many that are just overwhelmed by the smoke aspects that the rest of the flavors in the tea are lost.
This is the first Keemun I could see myself drinking on a regular basis, I normally reserve them for Autumn. The smoke flavor doesn’t overwhelm the tea, but instead its rich flavor makes itself known before letting the other flavors come through. There is a smoothness present with each sip that gives way to a subtle sweetness that I really enjoy. I think I’ve finally found the perfect tea for a cold winter day and living in Wisconsin we have no shortage of those up here.
I was interested in trying this tea, since I’m a big fan of keemun, and this was a potential bargain compared to the teas I usually buy. Thanks to Little Red Cup for the sample.
The initial aroma was a powerful smell of old leather. I later noticed some smoke behind the leather. The taste has the same features: strong leather with hints of smoke. Good long finish. The tea is well-made, smooth and powerful, but I just can’t get into the leather flavor.
Thank you Little Red Cup for a free sample of this tea. :)
I had such high hopes for it, but it isn’t quite to my liking. It has a smokiness about it that distracts me from noticing any other characteristics. I’m sure this will make it popular with others, but not for me. I’ll have to pass the rest of sample on to someone else.
Water: 8oz boiled
Leaves: tiny tea leaves
Steep: 2-4 minutes
Aroma: regular black tea
Color: Deep golden yellow
Taste: I was happy to receive this in the mail & I was surprised at how large of a sample it was! I went to brewing later that evening to pair this with dinner that night. I can say the flavor of this tea wasn’t too strong but a nice & light. This is also the first tea that I managed tested out cold brewing for the first time and it worked just fine.
*Thank you Little Red Cup for the free sample
Keemun Tea is a fairly popular (ok it is probably the most famous of the Chinese Black, or Red Tea if you are fancy) tea from Jiangxi Province. Also known by the name Qimen, which is what I recognized it as for years before I realized Keemun and Qimen were the same things, ah dialects, so much fun! This Keemun has a delightful smoky aroma that is stronger in this batch than other Keemuns I have tried, and I really enjoy that. Along with the smokiness there is a rich sweet aroma and a touch of wine. Sadly I am not skilled enough to say what kind of wine the aroma evokes except red and sweet, I am sure someone with more wine skills than me can fill in the blanks.
Once the tea has been given a trip to the sauna it takes on an oaky aroma, like it has been aged in an oak cask somewhat smoky. The aroma is super rich and mouthwatering, I feel like I am being transported to a basement in Venice or the like. Nothing to do with China, I know, but that is where the aroma took me. It is lovely. The liquid once the leaves have wandered off is still very rich and smoky but also has a sweet note.
After I finish being transported to another part of the world I figure it is time to drink the tea, after-all this is the last tea I will be drinking for a few days, I might as well enjoy it! The taste is tangy, in a very delicious way, similar to oak resin or the aroma of oak galls. For someone who has spent way too much time in a forest this flavor will be very nostalgic and pleasant. There is still the smoky richness that the aroma promised and it mixes with an underlying sweetness that stays in the mouth long after you have swallowed. This is a perfect tea for an Autumn evening, I plan on saving the bit I have left for just such an occasion. The first really cool, smoky evening I will sit under the stars and sip this tea. I really enjoyed it, it is smoky enough to evoke the Autumn feel and just give you the idea, but it is no where near as smoky as Lapsang Souchong. A delicious tea before I have to take a break.
For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/10/little-red-cup-tea-co-keemun-black-tea.html
This tea has quickly become one of my favorite teas. Its a sweet, smoky tea which I find absolutely delicious. While drinking this tea, I can’t help but feel like I am sitting in a cabin on a cold winter day. It makes me feel all cozy inside! Teehee.
It keeps its strong flavors through multiple steepings, which makes it ideal for sipping on during the evening hours. Overall, this tea has a lot of flavor and is incredibly comforting/relaxing to drink all day!I removed this from the Here’s Hoping teabox a few weeks ago. I loved the Little Red Cup teas I was able to sample. I had to try their keemun. Usually keemun doesn’t have the hint of smoke that they should. This one does but it seems like it isn’t naturally within the leaf itself but added later. It does remind me a bit of some of those artifical lapsang souchongs but with a lighter smokiness. The smoke kind of tastes like leather. The black tea itself is slightly sweet but then there is a flavor here that reminds me of stevia with a hint of cherry. The brew is on the lighter side. Not much of a fan of this one, but I’m always up for trying a tea.
Steep #1 // 1 tsp // 10 min after boiling // 3 min steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 4 min
I was surprised with Little Red Cup Tea co’s keemun – its smokey! This keemun has a brown sugar sweet start, earthy, wood and spice notes. End of sip there is a bit of briskness, fruity and chocolate richness. A bit of floral notes when the cup has cooled.
Pretty cool! The last keemun i tried was more on the smooth and sweet side, but this keemun is dynamically delicious!
Full review on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/keemun-black-tea-little-red-cup-tea-co-oolong-owl-tea-review/
From the HHTTB2
Oh mercy, yes! This is exactly what I wanted this morning. Rich and slightly smokey with hints of leather, wood, and brown sugar… this is so good. I tend to prefer my straight black teas from India or Nepal, but I think I’m going to have to spend some time trying Keemun teas because I have thoroughly enjoyed the two I’ve had this week.
This one is going on my shopping list.
i really liked this one!