Keemun Mao Feng black tea offers a rare delight

Chinese black teas don’t much resemble black teas from other parts of the world. An Earl Grey, for instance, is fruity and a little strong. Chinese blacks have a more mellow, elegant taste.

And the world of Chinese black tea has one tea that stands above the rest: Keemun.

Hand-picked and processed, Keemun has earned the name “the burgundy of teas.” It comes only from Anhui Province in southeastern China, where abundant flowing water nourishes the rich, sweet flavor of this tea.

Keemun is better than breakfast tea

Keemun black tea once made the main ingredient of breakfast teas. Now the demand for breakfast teas means that lower-quality teas from India, Sri Lanka and Kenya do that job.

So Keemun can take its rightful place in the tea world: the finest black Chinese teas have to offer.

Keemun tea has two main varieties– Hao Ya and Mao Feng. (And sometimes you’ll see it spelled “Qimen,” because of differences in how we convert Chinese to English.)  Keemun Hao Ya, a rare tea made from just the new tips of the tea leaf.

My preference, Keemun Mao Feng, is even better.

Named for the way its leaves are twisted into long, “hairpoint” shapes, it brews into a rich, dark brown cup of tea with a full-bodied flavor. It’s made just from tiny leaves that unfurl when steeping to release a flavor that’s unmatched.

Try some today; you’ll never forget it!

Buy Keemun Mao Feng tea here

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To make a cup of Keemun, just follow these steps:

1. Use water just off-boiling, usually about 95 C / 200 F. The same as for any other tea, warm the pot/cup first with a splash and use only a stanless steel tea infuser.
2. Steep for about 3-5 minutes. I prefer it around 4, because I don’t want the tea’s strength to overwhelm the flavors, but I don’t want it to seem too weak either
3. Enjoy! Keemun can take cream & sugar well, but I find it’s better just by itself~