136 Tasting Notes

75

This tea was enjoyable, but not my favorite. I have fallen in love with Keemuns, and may have lost the taste I previously acquired for Darjeelings, as the astringency and muscatel flavor were more pronounced to me than usual. I will have to mix my Darjeelings and Keemuns to see what happens, as recommended previously.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML
Teatotaler

America’s venerable tea authority, James Norwood Pratt, once commented that adding a bit of Darjeeling to his morning Keemun “made it fairly sparkle”! It really dose!

Mike

Nice! It’s about time I give it a try! Thanks!

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100

I have been drinking gyokuro once or twice a week for about 14 months, but Teavana has been my only source until now. While I really like the Teavana gyokuro, and it is one of my favorites, I definitely prefer this one. It’s stronger, grassier, and brews dark green. It is very smooth, but not quite as sweet. It held up to 4 steeps easily. I let the water cool down, but I definitely overleaf and oversteep…that’s how I like it. :)

Preparation
140 °F / 60 °C 1 min, 30 sec 4 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML

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90
drank Yunnan Gold by Ku Cha House of Tea
136 tasting notes

I probably should have bought this tea in bulk while I was in Fort Collins, because I thoroughly enjoyed the 2 pots of tea I had there. The tea was very sweet, with a honey flavor…incredibly smooth. It was a little lighter than I expected, but the mildness was nice as it brought more attention to the natural flavor of the tea.

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90
drank Keemun Monkey by Ku Cha House of Tea
136 tasting notes

I grabbed this one, along with a few other teas, while I was in Fort Collins, Colorado last week. The strength is moderate, and it is sweet for a Keemun, with just a slight hint of smoke, but less than most Keemuns I have tried. I prefer slightly stronger Keemuns, but this is a great everyday tea, which is good since I’ve been drinking Keemun every day. :P

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec

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80

This tea has quite a bit of astringency for a light tea. I did not particularly like it at first, but it started to grow on me as I sipped it more. I have to admit, I have stayed away from Darjeelings for a while, but I think I will have to bring them back. Does Darjeeling mix well with Assam or Ceylon? I wonder if strength and maltiness would make a good product or just create a mess and wreck the complexity of a Darjeeling tea.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec 2 tsp 16 OZ / 473 ML
Teatotaler

I do know that Darjeeling adds an amazing sparkle to Keemun! I do a blend of 2 parts Keemun and 1 part Darjeeling. Positively incredible! I understand that this type of blend had some popularity among the nobility in Edwardian England and Imperial Russia.

Mike

Wow, that sounds amazing! I’ve been drinking Keemun like crazy these days, and I would have to say it’s currently my favorite kind of tea. I have a lot of Darjeeling around, I’ll definitely give it a try. Thanks for the recommendation!

Teatotaler

Happy to help, Mike! Enjoy! :)

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95
drank Keemun by Tama Tea
136 tasting notes

Tama Tea is a local tea store that just recently opened in Wilmington, NC. I’m not sure of their source(s) for teas, but this Keemun is gooooooooooooood. It’s on the stronger side as far as Keemuns go, although I always overleaf quite a bit. :P It’s a little smoky, but has a chocolate flavor without being too sweet. It was around $11 for 4 oz, which I felt was a little on the high side at first, but now I would say that it’s totally worth it! I’ll have to go back and try more of their teas…pretty exciting to have a new local tea store!

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec

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85

I judged this tea kind of harshly at first, maybe I have acquired a taste for it…something that happens often. The strength seems to be good, strong enough, but it won’t punch you in the face. The maltiness is at a pleasant level that is not overwhelming as well…good standard tea. The only limitation to this tea in the cost. I purchased it when it was on sale, but it was regularly $8.99 for 20 sachets. I would consider purchasing it again if it is on sale, but there are several other teas that I enjoy more that are available at half the price.

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90
drank Genmaicha by Harney & Sons
136 tasting notes

I saw this at the store and wanted to buy some Japanese green tea to hold me over until I buy more gyokuro. The instructions call for a 3 minute steep, but I was a little skeptical, since I usually find that 1.5-2 minutes is sufficient for green teas. However, my first steep of 1.5 minutes was definitely on the weak side. I hit the target on the second steep…2.5 minutes, just like you guys recommend…never doubt Steepster. :P
The popcorn/roasted brown rice flavor dominates, but there’s a good grassy flavor that isn’t masked too much by the roasted brown rice. This is my fourth genmaicha, and it probably ranks as the best in the group.

Preparation
160 °F / 71 °C 2 min, 30 sec

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95
drank English Breakfast by Harney & Sons
136 tasting notes

This tea is so smooth; a little on the mild side, sweet, and not smoky. I finally bought a tin of the loose leaf tea, after flying through the 20 bags I purchased, and receiving a generous loose leaf sample from ashmanra (thank you, again!). This will definitely be regularly stocked in my cupboard. Keemuns FTW! :)

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec
ashmanra

Glad you liked it!

Mike

I loved all 3, especially that Zen Tea Keemun! :)

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95
drank Keemun Finest by Zen Tea
136 tasting notes

This is my fourth Keemun, and I would definitely say it’s my favorite so far! It’s smoky but smooth, with enough strength to get me up and going. This was another generous sample from ashmanra, thanks again for expanding my Keemun horizons! I’m going to purchase this one for sure!

ashmanra

My favorite of the three I sent you as well! Glad you like it. Grace Rare Tea has one called Winey Keemun that is very different from the ones I sent but is very good. It can be purchased online or at A Southern Season. It is true to the name – winey and fruity without smoke or cocoa notes.

Mike

Awesome, I’ll have to make a trip up to Raleigh soon, it’s been a while. I’ll wait until I diminish my current stores, I bought a lot of tea last month, hahaha! Thanks again!

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Profile

Bio

I’m a tea novice, and I’m loving my introduction to the World of Tea. I started getting into tea about 4 years ago when I lived in Brooklyn, NY. At first, I stayed with green teas, and took black teas completely for granted. However, in the last couple years I have enthusiastically added them to my daily routine. I love strong Assam black teas in the morning, and Japanese green teas in the afternoon, especially matcha and gyokuro. I have recently become a big fan of Keemuns. I’m looking forward to learning about new teas on this site and talking to other tea lovers!

As far as ratings go, don’t trust me. I’m a high rater, and I’m easily impressed. If I rate a tea lower than 70 (which is going to happen rarely, it seems), I probably will not drink that tea again. I will splurge for some teas at times, but I love a bargain, so you will often see me celebrating under-appreciated everyday teas.

Location

Manchester, CT

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