Keemun
Keemun (Qimen hong cha) is a Chinese black tea from Qimen county, Anhui, created in the 1870s, known for a winey, cocoa, orchid and lightly smoky aroma.
Definition
Keemun is the older Western name for Qimen, a county in southern Anhui province, China. Before the 1870s the area made green tea. In 1875, according to the most common account, a former civil servant named Yu Ganchen introduced black tea processing he had learned in Fujian, and Qimen black tea quickly gained a reputation for export. Other accounts credit a local man named Hu Yuanlong. Keemun is made from small-leaf Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, mainly the local Zhuye cultivar. The leaf is withered, rolled, fully oxidized and dried, and many traditional grades are sorted and refined through dozens of steps. The tea is known for an aroma called "Qimen xiang", sometimes described as orchid, rose, cocoa and dried fruit, with a faint smoky note that does not come from smoking. Main styles include Keemun Mao Feng (tender leaf with buds), Keemun Hao Ya (higher grade with more downy buds) and Keemun Gongfu (traditional fine-twisted strips). Keemun has historically been a base for English Breakfast blends.
In Depth
Western style: 2-3 g per 250 ml at 90-95°C (194-203°F) for 3-4 minutes. Gongfu style: 4-5 g per 100 ml, 10-20 second infusions. Keemun is not as strong or malty as Assam and can be drunk without milk; with very long steeps it takes on a winey, slightly drying edge.
Caffeine is in the normal black tea range, roughly 40-60 mg per 240 ml.
Grades and names vary between producers. Keemun Hao Ya A and B are traditional export grades. "Qimen Xiang Luo" is a modern spiral-rolled style. Higher-grade Keemun has finely twisted, black leaves with visible golden tips. The smoky note should be subtle; a strong pine smoke suggests a blend with Lapsang Souchong or a different tea.
See Also
- Chinese Black Tea
- Anhui Tea
- English Breakfast Blends