Superfine Keemun Fragrant Black Tea

Another day and another review of samples from Teavivre! This time around its Organic superfine Keemun that found its way in my cuppa this morning to much of my delight! The tea has much of the usual Keemun qualities of a slightly smoky plum flavor but with characteristics of Assam in the starchy department. The brew itself at near boiling water yielded a smooth liquor, non astringent without much bitterness on the palate. An excellent quality tea made with buds, great taste and makes a fine cuppa! Drink on Steepsterites!

I must thank Angel at Teavivre for this experience. My tea arrived today and I have been ogling the whole box since.

Black tea is one of the great loves of my life. I brew it daily, inhale the deep aromas, gaze at the dark colors, and sip at it greedily. It is truly a spiritual experience for me, and I consume far more of it than can be considered healthy. We all have our vices, so I justify mine with the fact that it’s tea and not gambling or cocaine. Solid logic, no?

This fragrant black tea is no disappointment. I will say it is not for the faint of heart, however. This is a strong, thick, and powerful blend – even when steeped precisely as recommended. For those looking for something not so powerful, it could easily be steeped for half the time and be quite enjoyable. In fact, I do believe this would do wonderfully iced with just a hint of sugar.

The leaves really didn’t give away the strength of the brew to come, not too dark, faintly aromatic, very unlike the tea they created. To my delight it is not very bitter. Indeed I’ve tasted far lighter black teas with more bitterness and interesting aftertastes.

I am truly biased in my adoration of steaming hot black tea, but I do think everyone should try it.

Thank you again, Angel, for this adventure. I will be reviewing the other teas over the course of the next week and am very excited for the opportunity. I have been ill and homebound these past few months, and tea has been one of my only escapes.

The word “fragrant” in the title does not mislead; indeed, this tea is aromatic in many ways. The small, mostly black dry leaves exude a powerful aroma of citrus, cocoa, and that unmistakable “pure tea” scent. This balanced medley is interestingly persistent and found in the wet leaves, the liquor, and the empty cup/gaiwan lid. The liquor is bisquity and very smooth, with a lively and crisp texture.

Flavors open exponentially, with a slower start upon the cusp of the sip, quickly rising into a strong, full-bodied mouthfeel. While it develops quickly, the complexity is low. However, the depth is remarkable and is enough to lead to a cooling finish in the throat and a lingering aftertaste. In some cases with high amounts of leaf, the finish is drying and somewhat sour, while the general mouthfeel is sharp and slightly metallic. Hence, I have found that small amounts of leaves produce a more balanced, sweet brew, while packing the gaiwan seems to bring out more undesirable qualities, even with flash infusions.

Sweetness is pretty low-key, but after seven or eight steeps, I am able to steep out infusion after infusion of flinty sweet liquor with a simple, slightly malty, “tea” flavor. This ability to go the distance in steeps, its powerful cooling qualities, and its strong fragrance make this a really great Keemun.

Thanks, Teavivre, for the sample.

I received this tea as a sample and I’m glad I did!
Small ebony leaf, smells like caramel, honey or candy in the bag without being cloying.
A light sweet smooth, plum-like, cocoa-caramel, very low in smokiness with no bitterness. No one scent overpowers, but a rich and mellow flavored Keemun. Priced economically, a good tea either hot or cold

I’ve reordered this one, and will do again.

The quickest description of this tea is: Black lite. It has all the earmarks of a good black tea. it has a rich deep red color, a wonderful scent of yeast and malt. It tastes of fresh baked bread (home made bread, not the commercial stuff), malt, and has an inherent sweetness, not sugary; without any astringency.

It’s not as full bodied as Big Red Robe or Golden Monkey, and the taste doesn’t linger on the palate as it does with those other teas. It has all the traits of the big blacks, but not to excess.

Still, this Keemun is a favorite of mine, and will surely serve to seduce many green or oolong drinkers into the cult of the black tea.

Gene

Before steeping, it smells kind of like dark chocolate, malty, and maybe a little like caramel, plus of course some smokey notes.

Taste wise it is kind of hard to describe. Kind of floral in addition to malty tasting. To me it kind of tastes like a cross of the different flavors I get from Indian and Chinese teas. It reminds me somewhat of their bailin gongfu, but has its own thing going on. All I know is I cold brewed some, added ice and sugar, and really like it that way so far.

OMG this tea – so, so good. I guess I’m quite the Keemun girl, because this hits the straight black tea spot. Bright, sweet and a little fruity, it’s one of those teas that you can do anything to – hot, iced, milk, etc. This is my jam!

Full-bodied and strong, tastes a little like Golden Monkey to me

Going from a lower end Keemun to this was a pretty drastic change. This is much smoother as well as more subtle, so much so that I hope a 7g sample will be enough for me to understand and appreciate this tea. Through the five or six steeps in my gaiwan, I smelled and tasted honey, grains, sweet potatoes, and a slight tangy fruitiness that most closely resembled plums and possibly cherries. Very mildly smoky; I don’t think that aspect would bother anyone who doesn’t like smoky teas. This is very good, but as someone who’s used to cheaper Keemun with a bolder character, my first impression is “this is Keemun?”.

2018- dry leaf: baked bread; wash: cherry with savory after taste… 1st brew smells of sweet potato, taste- sweet potato, sour, bitter, savory /// delayed astringency, mix of cherry, sour, and sweet potato. Decent savory huigan. You can do worse than this tea but i can only technically reccomend it.