Keemun Congou

A smooth, sweet black tea with a red-amber medium body. Notes of cocoa, stone fruit, and subtle floral hints make this a well-rounded brew.  "Congou" (or gongfu) refers to the manner in which this tea is crafted-- with skill.  The leaves are carefully formed into tight, thin strips. Keemun is produced in the Qimen County of Huanghsan Shi, in the Anhui province. It has tightly twisted small black leaves with a strong fragrant scent reminiscent of both fruit and roses. Up until the 1870s, the region only produced green teas. At that point, a failed civil servant named Yu Quianchen traveled to the Fujian province to learn their techniques for manufacturing black teas, and then returned to Anhui to apply them. His new tea was excellent, and became extremely popular on the world market.