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“This is another sample from Upton. I brewed it basket-style with a teaspoon of leaf for maybe 4 minutes maybe longer. It has a nice aroma and a light flavor. Unfortunately I have had some other...” Read full tasting note
“Yes, I remembered to brew some of this before class, so I had a nice travel mug of strong, leathery tea to drink. But that’s not why I’m writing a tasting note, such as it is. Mostly this is an...” Read full tasting note
“Cup #6 in SimplyJenW’s Tour of China blacks: This one is kind of a side trip. I have been primarily focusing on Fujian black tea because the cocoa notes of tea from that region have me always...” Read full tasting note
“Brews up a nice red colour and has a nice strong taste to it. It reminds me a bit of the Teavivre Gongfu tea that I tried a while back, malty, a bit strong, and kindof a “heavy” taste. It’s good,...” Read full tasting note
Description:
This is the top grade (1110) of standard China Keemun, which include the 1154, 1143, 1132, and 1121 lower grades. Demand often exceeds supply for this grade of China’s most famous black tea.
Oct 2018 Site Description:
With its rich flavor profile and smooth mouth feel, this standard grade Keemun represents a great value for a China black tea. Hints of wine and a suggestion of smoke round out the earthy, full-bodied cup.
Origin:
China
Steeping Suggestions: –
Leaf Quantity: 2¼ g/cup
Water Temp: 212º (boiling)
Steep Time: 3-5 min.
Company description not available.
This is another sample from Upton. I brewed it basket-style with a teaspoon of leaf for maybe 4 minutes maybe longer. It has a nice aroma and a light flavor. Unfortunately I have had some other China blacks recently that really impressed me. This is a nice tea at a good price. A fantastick “Empty Cup Aroma” of fresh evergreen which you know I love.
Yes, I remembered to brew some of this before class, so I had a nice travel mug of strong, leathery tea to drink. But that’s not why I’m writing a tasting note, such as it is.
Mostly this is an excuse to make an observation: my goodness, tea people are so polite and nice and wonderful. Y’all rock my tea-sock.
Cup #6 in SimplyJenW’s Tour of China blacks:
This one is kind of a side trip. I have been primarily focusing on Fujian black tea because the cocoa notes of tea from that region have me always wanting more. But this is a Keemun. I have only had a few of these, but the cup is generally more astringent, bolder, and smokey. It is more of a ‘wake me up’ tea than a ‘relax me out’ tea. I am not super versed in English Breakfast teas of all makes, but there are many that have Keemun as some portion of the blend, or they are a straight Keemun. Me personally, I can’t drink Keemun without additions. After the first several sips of this one, I had to sweeten. This one is in the mid range as far as price for a Keemun at Upton at a little over $7 for 125 grams. Now I am wondering how this compares to a more expensive one, but since it is not my black tea of choice, I may never know.
If you want to try a keemun that needs no sweetening, I would recommend Harney and Sons Keemun Mao Feng. It is milder than most keemuns and because it is harvested so early and contains so many buds (which are higher in glucose) it is sweeter than many keemuns. I, too, LOVE Fujian province teas – they are my favorites! But several keemuns are dear to my heart as well. Harney’s Keemun Hao Ya A is rich, bold, and cocoa-y, and with afternoon sweets tastes pretty good with no additions, though at breakfast I nearly always add milk and sugar to any tea I am drinking.
Yes….I will try a bunch more Keemuns at some point…and Harney tea is always on my shopping list. How does Harney’s English Breakfast compare to the ones you mentioned? It is also a Keemun. The Adagio English Breakfast which is also a Keemun is definitely smoother and less astringent than the one I tried today after sweetening them both.
Keemun Hao Ya A is definitely the strongest of the three. Bold, rich, cocoa! And that hint of smoke that you usually find in keemuns. English Breakfast would be in the middle, I think, with Mao Feng being the mildest and sweetest of the three. I have English Breakfast or Queen Catherine practically every morning, and Mao Feng for afternoon tea time. I only had a sample of Hao Ya A, but I plan to get a tin on my next order. I think it will probably be an afternoon tea with guests as well.
Brews up a nice red colour and has a nice strong taste to it.
It reminds me a bit of the Teavivre Gongfu tea that I tried a while back, malty, a bit strong, and kindof a “heavy” taste. It’s good, but definitely cut it with some milk to chill it out a bit. Not one you’d want all the time as it’s a bit more intense than say, you’re average Assam or PG Tips, but it’s good and an interesting flavour that is memorable.
Definitely smokey, earthy and yet still light. I’ll have to see if the lightness holds with a second cup and bait more leaves, but I like it very much. Complex but not in a heavy way. Definitely some fresh tobacco notes, mild astringency. Overall, a sound, very pleasant cup of tea. I’d drink this again quite happily.
I’m new to teas with smoke, so I don’t think I can give this a proper rating yet. This tea is a bit peppery, and it has an aftertaste of smoke. I added milk and sugar, after determining that in no way am I capable of drinking this sort of tea black. It wasn’t bad though – I can see how you could get to like this kind of thing. I will keep trying!
Smells like dark chocolate with a little bit of smoke.
Taste is robust, yet pretty smooth, and reminds me somewhat of the UK breakfast blends. The smoked smell comes through on taste quite a bit…this might be the smokiest tasting Keemun I have tried so far. There is a faint note I’m getting in the background that is kind of maple like as well. After it cooled way down it actually kind of tastes like some white teas I’ve tried. Good tea at a good price.
I oversteeped some and made it into a latte using almond milk, really liked it that way.
China Keemun
Leaves: the smell of these is interesting..has a chocolatey smell(darker) like you would imagine a bag of chocolate(not milk chocolate)crumbs might smell- the leaves are pretty small but bigger than CTC
Liquor: the taste was pretty bold/upfront and it struck me as a bitterish tea, not so much in the brewing but in the rough/chalky kind of way.. might be considered astringent?
overall not the worst tea ive had… but i wont be stocking any “keemun” teas
Check out my video-tasting at: http://healthyprofessionals.blog.com/the-tea-show
