Keemun Black Tea - COLORFULTEA

Brewing difficulty: General Difficulty Best season to taste: Winter Origin: Qimen, Dongzhi, Giichj, Shitai, Qian County of Anhui Province and Fuliang of Jiangxi Province. Shape: strips are long, tight and slender, black and mellow. It is "shinning like a jewel". Liquid: brilliant red and bright. Aroma: lasting fragrant aroma, exactly like the aroma of fruit, and with the fragrance of orchids and honey. Taste: mellow, thick, fresh and cool. Brewed tea leaves: tender and soft, brilliant red and bright. Recognizing: Keemun black tea's strips are tight, slender and slightly curved with revealed golden yellow tips. The buds are pretty and the color is black and mellow. The liquid is brilliant red after infusion. The brewed tea leaves are scarlet and bright. It tastes thick yet not astringent. The fake tea usually has artificial pigment, and tastes astringent and thin, and its shapes of the strips are irregular. Water temperature: around 100℃. High flush: High flushing water can make the tea leaves full-soaked under the agitating of the water to volatilize the color, aroma and the taste to full degree. Smells: Keemun black tea is recognized as one of the three most fragrant teas worldwide. The aroma is thick and lasting. You can't miss smelling the aroma if you have a cup of Keemun black tea in your hand. Tea Grade: Special Grade. Place Of Origin: Anhui, China Quality Guarantee Period: 24 Months. Style: Long, thin, wiry budset tea Flavor: Deep, rich Aroma: Distinctively earthy, slightly reminiscent of chocolate Liquor: Classic copper color Steeping: 3 to 5 minutes at 190° to 205°F. Drink plain or with milk and or sweetener Keemun teas are generally small-leafed, wincy, crisp, and lean. Keemun black tea, though, due to its larger-size pluck, is fatty and full-bodied. It has an unusual style and is as unique a black tea as one can find anywhere. One of the most distinctive flavor components that drinkers notice immediately is the unusual cocoalike dryness and chocolaty, lingering aftertaste. Keemun black tea has none of the slight smokiness and charcoal-fired flavor that is classic to many Chinese black and oolongs teas, but rather mirrors the honeyed, clean, and clear, focused style of a premium large-leaf Assam or Ceylon tea. The Keemun Black Tea derives its name from its place of origin, Keemun (Qimen) County of Anhui Province. A top product among Chinese congou black teas, it has long been serving as a national gift tea of China for foreign envoys. It is one of the top three high-aroma black teas in the world. The other two are the Darjeeling Black Tea of India and Uva Black Tea of Sri Lanka. A Century of Keemun Black Tea The world has three great black teas: Darjeeling from India, WUFA from Sri Lanka and China's Keemun. Keemun's full name is "Qimen Gongfu Black Tea." For convenience, Chinese speakers often drop the two characters for Gongfu when referring to this tea, simply calling it Qimen Black Tea or Qihong. Owing to its popular English usage, the term "Keemun" will be used in this article, as opposed to the pinyin spelling of "Qimen". A taste of Keemun brings a face of joy Mainland China's three great tea growing mountain ranges are Wuyi Mt., Tianmu Mt. and Huang Mt.. Keemun is located to the west of Huang Mt. in a heavily forested basin, inside a national level nature reserve. Guniu Jiang is the centre of the tea production area, and 80% of the area is covered with forest: the vegetation is lush, the forest thick, natural resources abundant and the local produce diverse, with Keemun tea being the area's most famous export. A poem in praise of Keemun reads: “Thick, mystic fogs flow over Guniu Jiang, Inside the fog, grows Keemun Tea.” Capturing the essence of the mountain forest and the spiritual influence of the clouds and mist, breathing in the fine spring rain, bathed in the flower fragrances of the mountains, the unique beauty of Keemun tea is created. Keemun tea's unique fragrance seems to possess perfumes of apples and orchids, fresh and long lasting; it is a hero among teas. The flower notes are not quite flowers, the honey notes are not quite honey, and the sugar notes are not quite sugar: it is a difficult tea to describe. Hence, experts have come up with the name “Keemun fragrance.” This Keemun fragrance has grown renowned at home and abroad. Keemun's appearance is extraordinary: a lustrous deep black, the stems and leaves are taught and delicate, buds both sharp and elegant. After it is poured, the gorgeous red liquor will seem to thicken in consistency. This is the best tea infusion, to which other teas cannot compare. Keemun's taste is unique, smooth and mild in the mouth, with a lingering sweet aftertaste. After the founding of the country, the quality of Keemun tea rose as industry began to realise its value. In 1931, one dan (50kg) of Keemun tea was sold for 620 grams of silver. The auction opening prices had great influence on the yearly prices of Keemun tea. According to Shanghai's Dagong Daily of June 1st, 1936: "This year, Anhui's renowned Keemun black tea and Jiangxi's Ningzhou improved black tea have come onto the market. The China Tea Company commenced sales several days ago, buying 20 lots, Dade bought 55 lots, Huada 30 lots, with each lot going for 300 Yuan. 51 lots of Ningzhou improved black tea were sold at a price of 145 Yuan. Bids on both black teas were opened by both foreign and Chinese tea traders, turning an unprecedented page in the trade of Chinese tea." At the same time, the Shen Bao reported: "Following the lead of the China Tea Company, many foreign firms continued the purchasing, trade was buzzing, with around 20,000 cases sold. Regarding the British market, owing to the shipping season being close at hand, in order to load the first ships, tea prices consecutively rose." After the founding of the country, foreign traders had the deepest influence on the international trade in Keemun tea due to their long term purchasing of the tea, coupled with Western habits of drinking China's Keemun. In their buying of Keemun tea, most customers do not even ask for samples, and are happy to purchase standard grade teas. Mention the word "Keemun" to seasoned Western tea drinkers, and they won't stop talking about it, with some individuals signing long term contracts to purchase Keemun tea. Keemun loving countries such as England and Holland furthermore designed various styles of beautiful packaging to meet their domestic market requirements. Before the first teas came onto the market each year, foreign traders would begin reserving teas in Spring, impatiently waiting for the early arrival of new Keemun tea at the Guangzhou Export Commodities Fair. Upon obtaining their tea, they would excitedly shout "China's Keemun fragrance has arrived!" In everyday life, people from all around the world like to serve China's Keemun black tea to display their hospitality when receiving guests. British people adore drinking Keemun tea; older people especially cherish a Keemun cuppa, served both as an afternoon and breakfast tea. It is reputed that Queen Elizabeth II is particularly fond of Keemun tea; the first of her daily ablutions is to sip a cup of Keemun, the royal family also give the Queen Keemun tea as birthday gifts. One particular London Tea shop has a room dedicated the sale of Keemun tea. Upon receiving Keemun tea as a gift from visiting Chinese friends, Chair of the British Tea Council, Dr. James in his welcoming ceremony said: "Today, our Chinese friends have brought us the most precious gift, Prince's tea. Once more may we cherish the sweet fragrance of China's Keemun tea." In mid May, 1980, upon discovering that the arrival of the first shipment of Keemun to London was earlier than that of previous years, old hands of the English tea trade exclaimed: Keemun's fragrance has returned, the quality is great! and "This year the Spring tea is early to arrive, the finest leaf we have yet to see!" As well as esteeming the tea, merchants further increased their purchase orders, printed advertisements, sent out leaflets, and rushed to obtain the tea they required. Some of these tea companies even sent congratulatory telegrams to Keemun, China. According to the recollections of Ma Benling, staff from the Agricultural Trade Department brought British tea specialists to inspect tea production in Keemun as early as 1914. Their trip took them to Gulao Wu tea plantation, and they observed female tea pickers as well as the cultivation and management of the plantations. In the period between 1951 and 1960, 27 tea specialists from the Soviet Union came to inspect the Keemun tea factory and conduct tea trials. Consultant to the British Overseas Tea Company, Chair of the German Tea Import and Export Association Mrs.White, the Japanese Tea Group Taniki Yozo and seven others, Sri Lankan friends and so on, In the forty years after the founding of the country, Keemun tea attracted over 100 friends from abroad. An official of the World Fine Food Committee headquarters in Europe, holding a package of Keemun tea in front of his chest was heard to say: "Keemun black tea surpasses other teas from previous sessions, and is the finest tea so far." He further expressed a desire to visit China, and make a trip to the Keemun black tea district. The Turkish poet Hiker mett puts it beautifully: "In the fragrance of a Chinese tea, I discovered the scent of spring." Japanese specialist Matsushita Satoshi visited Keemun, and left the inscription: "The world's finest black tea." Furthermore, celebrated tea expert from Japan, Ms. Yamanishi Sada declared upon drinking Keemun that it was the finest black tea she had ever tasted. Chairman of the Taiwan Chinese Tea Culture Association, Mr. Fan Zengping instigated the social survey "Keemun Tea in Taiwan." Group tastings reached the following appraisal of the tea: Lacking the bitter astringency of ordinary teas, the taste is mellow and mild, smelling of sweet honey; there is a hint of fruit fragrance in the mouth. After drinking, a sweet taste loiters, the flavour is very good, leaving a lingering sweetness on the lips, the taste is balanced, with no astringency; a hint of wolfberry sweetness envelops the mouth." Ideal natural conditions and an accomplished production process along with a unique fragrance combine to craft: the elegance of Keemun, earning the tea considerable international and domestic prestige: Keemun was awarded a prize in the 1913 ???????? Gold Prize in the 1915 Panama Exhibition, later winning an award in the Italian 獰???⑶???Exhibition. Production was disrupted by the Chinese civil war, Keemun tea fell out of the spotlight, but its fine reputation endured. For a considerable time after the founding of the country, Keemun tea was controlled as a state monopoly product, so it was not entered into competitions. After the 11th Communist Party Congress, in line with plans to develop the economy, business management initiatives emphasised the importance of developing the various markets. Upon returning to the arena of competitions, awards and honours came one after another: Since 1980, the Keemun Tea Factory has produced superior grade, first grade and second grade teas, all of which have been certified as national top quality products. These products also received gold medal awards throughout the 1980s for the first time since the founding of the country. In 1983, the Keemun Tea Factory's Gongfu black tea was certified as a top quality export product by the Ministry of Foreign Trade. In 1984, the Keemun Tea Factory’s First, Second and Third grade black teas were designated as top quality products by the Commerce Department, while Gongfu black tea was assessed as a top quality product of Anhui province. In 1985, Zhonghua Brand superior and first grade black teas received national gold medals. In 1986, at the Famous Chinese Teas Competition in Fuzhou, the Keemun Tea Factory's Gift Tea received first prize. In 1988, Keemun Mountain Brand's superior and first grade black teas took double gold medals at the first session of the Chinese Food Exhibition. In 1991, Zhonghua Brand's superior grade and first grade black teas were once again recognised as national gold medal products. Keemun Mountain Brand's black tea was awarded a gold medal at the Hong Kong International Food Exhibition. In 1996, Keemun Mountain Brand Gongfu black tea was tasted and judged by the National Top-quality Food Committee and for the fifth time, awarded a gold medal. In 1998, Keemun Xiangluo, a tea created by the College of Agricultural Science, Keemun Tea Research Institute was recognised as a state level tea at the fifth session of the Anhui Fine Tea Tasting Assembly. In 2000, Keemun Xiangluo received awards from countries including Korea, Japan and Malaysia, and received an international gold medal. In 2001, Keemun black tea underwent national quality control testing overseen by the Bureau of Quarantine and Inspection. This was conducted so that the tea could be assigned a guarantee of provenance; Keemun black tea was in turn assigned a state level guarantee of provenance label. In 2006, the Hua Mingyuan Tea Company's Keemun black tea received a gold prize from the sixth session of the International Famous Tea Competition. In October 2007, the fourth China International Tea Exhibition was held in Beijing. Qixiang Brand Keemun black tea came to the fore, and was honoured to receive a gold medal, the sole tea from Anhui to win such an award. Owing to its fine quality, Keemun tea has received awards in almost all of the domestic competitions it has entered. In 1987, Keemun made its first stride onto the international stage (since the founding of the country in 1949), receiving a gold medal at the 26th 訝???よ?繇??屋????in Belgium. This achievement will be forever be remembered as a high point in the history of Keemun, and for Chinese tea as a whole. Keemun is a princess among teas. Possessing the health protecting qualities of other teas, Keemun is a ftilly oxidised tea. As a result of the oxidation process, the resulting nutrients within the tea leaves become more abundant than those possessed by other tea varieties. Keemun even contains nutrients levels comparative to those present in other foodstuffs. Keemun s Vitamin K content is similar to that of fresh spinach; the tea also has higher fluorine content than any other variety. Furthermore, Keemun possesses relatively high levels of theaflavins and ???榮? caffeine and amino acids. From many years of researching Keemun tea, experts have discovered the tea to possess many health protecting properties, the most important of which are listed below: 1. Refreshing and stimulating, diuretic and able to alleviate dysentery. Principally, caffeine and volatile oils combine to give the tea said efficacies. 2. Strengthens teeth, fights tooth decay, clears grease and is good for the stomach. Keemun has a high fluorine content, to the degree that the tea is helpful in preventing tooth decay. Furthermore, the tea is considered warming (according to Traditional Chinese medicine classifications), so is consequently good for the stomach, and able to dispel stomach colds. 3. Lowers blood pressure, guards against coronary illnesses. It has been proved that Keemun s theaflavins are effective in lowering blood pressure, and strengthening blood vessel walls. 4. Weight loss, anti-carcinogenic properties. Brewing time is the key to getting the most from your cup of Keemun. If the brewing time is too short, amino acids in the tea will not have time to release, and the sweet Keemun fragrance will not appear. If the brewing time is too long, the tannins and catechins present in the tea leaves will be completely released, resulting in a bitter infusion. In order to attain a correct brewing time, it is important to use a timer and observe changes in the colour of the liquor, the bright, lustrous red hue is one of the notable characteristics of Keemun black tea. Keemun's outstanding quality and unique taste and fragrance have made the tea popular both home and abroad, inspiring wide spread demand from consumers. Trace back time passed; the reward will be fine Keemun black tea has been produced since the early years of the Guangxu period, and already boasts 130 years of history. Regarding the manufacturing process of Keemun tea, there are three historical sources we can refer to: The first was written by Hu Yuanlong, in his Qing Imperial memorial number 119 (a folded paper record, commonly in accordion form): "Anhui began to produce black tea in a similar manner to Fujianese black tea makers. This was initiated by Mr Hu Yuanlong, a native of Guixi in southern Qimen, in the Xian Feng year. He planted 5000 mu (1 mu is equivalent to 1/6 of an acre) of mountain land with tea plants. In the second year of the Guangxu period, owing to the unfevourable market in green tea, he made a concerted effort to learn methods of producing Keemun black tea, raising 60,000 Yuan in order to build the Rishun tea fectory; he further improved black tea production, spending the last forty years tirelessly sharing and spreading his knowledge of black tea." A similar report was published in the Agricultural Gazette, 1916. The Second is from Yu's theory, appearing in the "Keemun Revival Plan" published in 1937: "In the second year of the Guangxu period, 1876, Yu Mou came to Keemun, representing the Zhide Tea Company, setting up a branch in Likou, purchasing black tea at high prices from local growers. The following year, he set up a new branch in Shan Li. At that time, Tong Chun Rong came to Keemun to invest in the tea industry and black tea grew in popularity." Yu mou was also known as Yu Qianchen, a man from the county of Yi. According to the Yi county records: "Yu Qianchen was from Lichuan County, one of the pioneers of Keemun tea, originally an official in Fujian. In the second year of the Guangxu period, 1875, he opened a tea shop in Zhide, (today s Dongzhi), on Yaodu street, selling tea made using Fujianese black tea production methods. In the following year he set up a tea shop in Likou, Keemun County." The Third source is from Chen's Miscellany: "Hu Yuanlong, Chen Lieqing and others have successively built tea factories in southwest Keemun; their effort in recruiting and training workers has caused Keemun to bloom. The respective tea factories of the two aforementioned men are considered the earliest in the area, Hu Rishun and Chen Yifeng factories." Chen's Miscellany no longer exists in its original form, so fewer people believe his version of events. Keemun black tea took its first steps into the world tea scene as the winds of change were shaking the balance between green and black teas. According to records, from the period between 1896 and 1900, black and green tea exports each had an index of 100. By 1915, black tea only possessed an index of 77, while green tea had an index of 143. Clearly black tea was floundering behind its un-oxidised cousin. Under these circumstances, Keemun black tea was swept along upon the currents of the fresh Spring breeze, from the steep mountain sides of south Anhui, to land as a shining light upon the world stage. Its beautiful appearance, fresh flavo