A never before opened packet of this has been sitting on my counter for a while. I’ve been waiting for the right time to give it a try.
I always think Keemun leaves are fascinating in a iron filings sort of way. They look like if you held a magnet against them they’d jump right up. The picture is very accurate. They have a very earthy smell in the packet, a dark smell with a sharp, high note.
For me, the liquor wasn’t all the coppery. Unless your penny has been in circulation for a while. It’s much darker than the color I know as copper, but has a reddish/orangish tinge.
The aroma suggests something deep and flavorful. There’s a slightly bready note and a tad of smoke. I had never heard “the burgundy of teas” before, but I get it. It has the same feel.
The flavor is very nice. At first, it seems somewhat less complex than the smell suggests it might be. But the finish and aftertaste belie that impression. There’s a sweetness to it and the smoke is subtle, which I like. The mouthfeel is pretty interesting. Soft and smooth. There’s a dark cocoa note, like a baking chocolate, a slight metallic/potato note and something that’s a cross between coffee and caramel, but not really either.
Not my favorite Keemun as I don’t love the metallic/potato aspect. But everything else about it is lovely.Flavors: Bread, Caramel, Cocoa, Coffee, Metallic, Potato, Smoke
