Backlogging, and based almost entirely on my memory, as I have almost no notes on it
Experience buying from Seven Cups http://steepster.com/places/2824-seven-cups-online-tucson-arizona
Date of Purchase/Age of Leaf: harvest date: spring 2007; bought Spring 2011; first brewed up not long after getting it.
Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: like any standard Chinese red tea; very aromatic, almost smoky, and kinda like leather.
Brewing guidelines: Ceramic six-cup teapot, tea in large metallic tea-ball; stevia added.
I brewed this as I do any black tea (see my profile for details).
Color and aroma of tea liquor: < I can’t remember, I may update this the next time I brew this up, if I remember to, that is. >
Flavor of tea liquor: Like leather, but in a positive way (I wish I could better explain that). It has a smokiness similar to Seven Cups Lapsang, but it’s flavors are more subtle, and more complex.
Appearance of wet leaf: I remember being very impressed at the quality of the ‘leaf’, being comprised of mostly full, small-looking buds, with very few stems or broken pieces.
Value: Very pricy at full price (about $13/25grams) but I got it at 70% off (it is no longer available). Although I could not personally justify paying full price, depending on what you want in a tea—and given the fact that you could probably coax at least 5 good steepings out of it—it may even be worth it at full price (esp. as it’s organic).
Overall: This is, hands down, one the the most amazing black/red teas I have ever had (after trying at least a dozen different loose-leaf unflavored black/red teas by now). It may be the very first loose-leaf unflavored black/red teas I ever had, and it still has a special place in my black tea repertoire. The first time I steeped it I believe I steeped it seven times, and it was on the seventh that it finally gave out. I don’t have much of it but I have brewed it up here and there since I bought it. I brewed it up just last week, not long after trying Verdant’s Laoshan Northern Black, and I remember thinking, “This tea gives Verdant’s a good run for the money.” It has staying power, and it’s complex, aromatic, and unique; it’s simply amazing. It doesn’t look like they carry a keemun with this name anymore (with ‘Spring Dawn’ in the name) so this may be the last of this crop. So I’m holding on tightly to what I have.
Preparation
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wow that certainly is expensive!! but it’s complex which in my books is the mark of a fantastic tea. So maybe it is worth it!
I just looked at the back of the tin I keep this tea in (where I have the price) and it says, $6.28/1.75oz. That’s the price at 70% off. That’s about $12/oz. at full price. Still, try looking at it like this: a bag of tea from my local grocery store (not on sale, not including tax) costs about $3.30/20 bags per box = 16.5 cents a bag. And if you only use it once, then six bags = six cups of tea = ~$1.00. For one tsp (2 grams of tea) of Spring Dawn at $12/oz (assuming you get 14 servings per ounce (or 2 grams per serving) $12 oz/14 tsp = less than a $1.00 a tsp. Now, assuming you you can get six good steepings out of that 1 tsp (this may be pushing it, but I was able to do it) then you can get as much out of the Keemun Spring Dawn for about the same price as the six tea bags. And I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather have six good cups of this tea then some store bought tea (even if the flavor on this Keemun decreases slightly with each steeping). It amazes me, but I assure you the the math is correct. It really demonstrates for me how a quality product can still be affordable. : – )
hehe good point. The only downfall is that while resteeps provide excellent value, I’m not always able to use the leaves before they should be thrown out. I consume most of it at work, so sometimes I am only able to get through one or two steeps, due to circumstances that arise… but if I were able to drink at my leisure (as I did today!!) or perhaps share resteeps with a fellow tea drinker, then I think maybe that’d be more worth it. One day I’ll have my own business and will make time for tea at all hours :)
I agree with you in the that downfall of choosing to go with loose-leaf tea is the labor and time involved to fully take advantage of its flavor potential. The way I see it (as I think my example illustrates), the choice to drink loose-leaf (even an expensive one like this Keemun) is more about how much time and effort we are willing to put into a good cup of tea, rather than price.
I hear you when you state that your work environment limits you. For me, it takes almost an entire day to really get the full flavor out of a quality tea (and lots of effort, too), as it did for me today with the six steepings I did on the Hunan Yellow Sprouting I just wrote the review for. Ah, the gift of Time. There certainly is only so much of it. Tea helps to remind me of how precious Time is, and tea reminds me to spend it wisely!
Wisely yes… but you know what, when I have a few spare minutes there is nothing I’d rather do than make a cup! I don’t mind the time in takes up, rather I wish I had some (time or tea, interchangeable in this case!) when there isn’t any.
Making it to five or six infusions is always such a pleasure. Like a journey where you simply meander and gaze at the scenery. (ok now I am babbling haha)
wow that certainly is expensive!! but it’s complex which in my books is the mark of a fantastic tea. So maybe it is worth it!
I just looked at the back of the tin I keep this tea in (where I have the price) and it says, $6.28/1.75oz. That’s the price at 70% off. That’s about $12/oz. at full price. Still, try looking at it like this: a bag of tea from my local grocery store (not on sale, not including tax) costs about $3.30/20 bags per box = 16.5 cents a bag. And if you only use it once, then six bags = six cups of tea = ~$1.00. For one tsp (2 grams of tea) of Spring Dawn at $12/oz (assuming you get 14 servings per ounce (or 2 grams per serving) $12 oz/14 tsp = less than a $1.00 a tsp. Now, assuming you you can get six good steepings out of that 1 tsp (this may be pushing it, but I was able to do it) then you can get as much out of the Keemun Spring Dawn for about the same price as the six tea bags. And I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather have six good cups of this tea then some store bought tea (even if the flavor on this Keemun decreases slightly with each steeping). It amazes me, but I assure you the the math is correct. It really demonstrates for me how a quality product can still be affordable. : – )
hehe good point. The only downfall is that while resteeps provide excellent value, I’m not always able to use the leaves before they should be thrown out. I consume most of it at work, so sometimes I am only able to get through one or two steeps, due to circumstances that arise… but if I were able to drink at my leisure (as I did today!!) or perhaps share resteeps with a fellow tea drinker, then I think maybe that’d be more worth it. One day I’ll have my own business and will make time for tea at all hours :)
I agree with you in the that downfall of choosing to go with loose-leaf tea is the labor and time involved to fully take advantage of its flavor potential. The way I see it (as I think my example illustrates), the choice to drink loose-leaf (even an expensive one like this Keemun) is more about how much time and effort we are willing to put into a good cup of tea, rather than price.
I hear you when you state that your work environment limits you. For me, it takes almost an entire day to really get the full flavor out of a quality tea (and lots of effort, too), as it did for me today with the six steepings I did on the Hunan Yellow Sprouting I just wrote the review for. Ah, the gift of Time. There certainly is only so much of it. Tea helps to remind me of how precious Time is, and tea reminds me to spend it wisely!
Wisely yes… but you know what, when I have a few spare minutes there is nothing I’d rather do than make a cup! I don’t mind the time in takes up, rather I wish I had some (time or tea, interchangeable in this case!) when there isn’t any.
Making it to five or six infusions is always such a pleasure. Like a journey where you simply meander and gaze at the scenery. (ok now I am babbling haha)