Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

According to the Vicony Teas website, Keemun tea is the result of an embarrassed civil servant who lost his job in the 1870′s. His father advised him to pick up a “real trade,” which he did-tea farming—and the result is a long-lived line of unique teas. The fruity and winey flavor, which is most often attributed to Keemun teas, is evidently a result of the soil and cultivation techniques in Keemun County, China.

I’m still learning the terminology, but to the best of my understanding, “Hao Ya” refers to the grade of tea instead of a particular flavor, and the “A” means best-of-the-best. The dry leaves are long and whole, and the tea itself is a nice red-brown, with a little sharp bite to the first steep.

When I’m drinking Keemuns, my sensory connections evoke strong thoughts of sweet hay, wet burlap, and cattle fodder in my grandmother’s barn. Grainy instead of fruity–but that’s not an unpleasant comparison in my book. This particular tea from Vicony made a nice strong first cup (water just boiling, about 4 minutes steeping time).  My experimental second steep had slightly less tang, but still very pleasant.

This is a must-try for people who prefer nice, natural, unflavored, un-doctored black teas.

You can purchase the Keemun Hao Ya A directly from the Vicony Tea website.

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