Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Keemun’

Grace Tea Company’s product line is not large, but it is clear from their offerings that they prefer to highlight the quality and complexity of the various teas themselves—not multiple flavorings and blend-ins.

In the case of Grace’s Connoisseur Master Blend, I was amazed a simple blend of leaves could produce this flavor without extra help. The dry leaves smell a little sharp and astringent—I’m pretty sure there’s some Keemun in there—but steeped according to Grace’s recommendations, the color is deeper (nearly mahogany) and the flavor is fruitier than you’d expect.

When I did a blind taste before checking out the ingredients, I was sure there were some winey, grape-y additives. (If you’ve ever tasted Culinary Teas’ Canadian Ice Wine, this is its cousin.)  Though I’ve been told Keemuns are OK with milk, I think milk would just tone down the fruity notes that seem to be this tea’s selling point.

If you’re looking for a hearty, stout, kick-you-out-of-bed morning tea, Connoisseur Master Blend probably isn’t it. This one is better for a rainy and philosophical afternoon when you have time and the mental capacity to mull over the character of this interesting combination.

You can purchase the Connoisseur directly from the Grace Tea Company website.

Keemun Hao Ya B is one of the very best grades of  Keemun teas from China, so I brewed Vicony’s import with great anticipation.  I was not a bit disappointed–indeed, I felt rapturous.  A good Keemun tea opens up a universe of surprising and complexly melded taste treats.   This tea is fairly tippy and has a distinctive floral aroma in addition to the naturally malty taste that a good Keemun provides.   There’s an underlying but subtle smoky aroma and taste which serves as a vehicle to enhance the floral aroma.

The deep brownish-red liquor is splendidly inviting to look at and would grace a glass pot.  As one continues to drink, other flavors unfold and rise up.  I could detect a bit of toasty chocolate and chestnut.  I enjoyed this Keemun Hao Ya B from Vicony teas black and appreciated a touch of natural sweetness.  The tea is strong and robust enough to stand up to additions of cream and sweetener. 

After enjoying this tea, my mouth was left with the an exceptionally  pleasant smoky, toasty, floral flavor.    All of the best Keemun’s I’ve enjoyed are both hearty, robust teas with a capacity to roll out waves of wonderful flavors that can be almost ethereal.  Vicony’s Keemun Hao Ya B outstandingly  highlights the complex beauty of tea.  I plan to make a full purchase because Vicony’s tea morphed, in just a few minutes, from an unknown brand and brew to an essential ingredient to my happiness.   Strongest recommendation.

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

Keemun is a variety of Chinese black tea, possibly China’s most famous.   The region centered around the town of Qimen, between the Yangtze and the Yellow mountains, produces mostly black tea.   Keemun used to be a component leaf in many traditional English Breakfast blends.  It contributed a smoky, rich character, while not imparting much bitterness.   Economics and politics led to most English blends toi use Indian and African sourced teas.  In China, Keemun is drank unadulterated, but also serves as a basis for a mid morning “milk tea” common in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

This Keemun from Adagio Teas, is a Mao Feng style tea.  Mao Feng denotes a tea that is picked with a bud set and two leafs of equal length – and is the preferred pick of most good quality teas.    Long thin. rolled & twisted black leaf, with a good amount of lighter tips, with a spicy aroma.  As it is a black, it is a one -steep tea:  1tsp/3g tea per 6oz water @ 205 F for 5 minutes. (Adagio recommends 212F, but I like letting the water cool a bit so as not to blast or scorch the flavor).   Bright & clear brown with a bit or orange in the cup.  Faint aroma of dark chocolate, with a hint of spice.  A light sweet flavor, with suggestions of cocoa, moderate body and almost no astringency.  Wet leaf shows the two leafs and a bud, brown in color, with a nice chocolate and spice aroma.  

It doesn’t have the smokiness I associate with Hao Ya Keemuns.   The Mao Feng is the first pick, and its emphasis is on the subtle flavors of the bud set.   Hao Ya is second pick, the pickings are separated by a matter of 7-10 days.  Both teas are finished in the same way.  It is amazing the difference in tastes of the teas produced.

This is a very good Keemun, very smooth and inviting.  This is the highest grade of the three Keemun’s Adagio offers, and it shows.   

You can purchase the Keemun Rhapsody directly from the Adagio website.

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.