Although Keemun tea is famous in Europe, especially in England where
it's been a favorite of the monarchy for the past 160 years, most people
in China have never tasted this wonderful tea.
Chinese people have traditionally been inclined to drink oolong and green teas, and have only
recently begun to pay attention to black tea.
Keemun (Qimen in modern spelling) is the name of the county in Anhui
Province where the tea was first grown. It's best known as the "burgundy"
of teas, for it has a rich liquor with an orchid fragrance. This is known in
Chinese as a "gong fu" or "kung fu" tea, which refers to the "disciplined
skill" required to produce the dark wiry leaves. A higher grade of Keemun
is called "Mao Feng" or "hair point." No other black tea is similar to
Keemun in taste or fragrance.
There are two stories regarding the origins of Keemun. The most
common
story is of the government official She Ganchen, who after leaving office
in Fujian Province and returning to his home county of Keemun in 1875,
decided to manufacture black tea which he had learned about while living
in Fujian. The tea was embraced by western importers and She was able
to persuade local farmers to produce this black tea. A second story
attributes the tea's beginnings to Hu Yuanlung, who faced with a weak
green tea market decided to produce for the stronger black tea export
market and opened the Rishun Factory in 1876.
Today, Keemun is produced in the Anhui Province counties of Qimen,
Shitai, Dongzhi, Guichi, Yi, and Guangshan, as well as the Jiangxi
Province region around Jingdezhen City, best known for its porcelain.
Although Keemun is described as having a faint orchid or rose scent,
there is also a distinctive cocoa flavor. Try steeping for 4 minutes,
but experiment with longer or shorter steeping times.
Keemun Hao Ya
(high grade Keemun)
Organic
Keemun (fine quality, smooth flavor,
organic)
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