I am unsure as to what the grades suggest. I assume it is to do with the quality of the tea but I would like to know what it refers to. I did a quick internet search and did not come up with much. This is the teavivre info page: http://www.teavivre.com/info/guide-to-choose-high-quality-keemun-black-tea. It discusses different grades of keemun but then changes to discusses Grade A, B, and C. I assume that could be synonymous with the grades but I have no idea.
So anyway, this tea smells strongly earthy and more vegetal than smokey. It is smooth, but not the smoothest keemun I have had. There is a slight smokey flavour, I would describe it as more rustic. There is also a bit of an earthy flavour. There is just a touch of astringency on the back of my palate towards the end of the sip but it goes away really quick. There is just a tinge of sweetness.
This reminds me of a gulping tea, not a sipping tea. It is the tea you drink down with your breakfast, it tastes really good but you are not stopping to notice any subtleties or nuances of the tea.
i have grade 1,2 on their way so that i can do a final comparison of the last of the keemuns from teavivre. :)