Keemun Black Tea – Grade 2

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Black Tea Leaves
Flavors
Anise, Bread, Cherry, Dried Fruit, Earth, Hay, Musty, Red Wine, Smooth, Tart, Dark Wood, Fruity, Oak, Smoke
Sold in
Not available
Caffeine
Medium
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by TeaVivre
Average preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 4 g 8 oz / 230 ml

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31 Tasting Notes View all

  • “I really, really love Teavivre’s Keemuns. For the sake of transparency, I’m technically drinking a Keemun Grade 1.5 tonight, as it was a mix of remaining samples. But I like 2 better, so that’s...” Read full tasting note
    95
  • “Tea of the morning…… Wow. I am the first to log this one! Since I am a lover of all types of Keemun, I had to give this a try. Since I purchased this one, I requested a sample of Grade 1 Keemun...” Read full tasting note
    90
  • “Here’s my 2nd Keemun of the day, & based on previous experience with Keemun teas, this is actually more like what I expect a Keemun to taste like. It’s earth, leather, smoke, a little plum...” Read full tasting note
  • “I’m going to try and get to my Teavivre Keemuns today. In order of price per 100g this one is at cheapest and so far, my least favourite :) This is a sort of malty, kind of astringent brew. It’s...” Read full tasting note
    80

From Teavivre

Origin: Qimen, Anhui, China

Ingredients: Dark black, glossy thin buds topped with golden coloured tips

Taste: A bold but smooth, fruity taste with a lingering, mellow aftertaste

Brew: 1-2 teaspoons for 8oz of water. Brew at 205 ºF (95 ºC) for 2 to 3 minutes (exact time depends on your taste – a longer time will give the tea a stronger taste and color)

Health Benefits: Keemun black tea is fully oxidised, and so does not have the same level of antioxidants as our Green or White teas. However it still makes a great healthy tea to drink, especially if drunk with no or minimal milk and sugar, and provides a great natural source of fluoride and other vitamins.

About Teavivre View company

Company description not available.

31 Tasting Notes

95
185 tasting notes

I really, really love Teavivre’s Keemuns.

For the sake of transparency, I’m technically drinking a Keemun Grade 1.5 tonight, as it was a mix of remaining samples. But I like 2 better, so that’s where it’s getting logged. Nyah nyah nyah.

I drink this, and it pretty much cements in my mind that there’s no real need for Lapsang Souchong in my life. This keemun is rich and smokey, absolutely deliciously so, but without that really heavy smokey pine flavor. Which, all being said isn’t that bad (at least not Teavivre’s version), but is nowhere near as pleasurable as the just slightly smokey flavor of the Keemuns.

Missy’s awesome, she’s letting me finish off the pot because I like this so much. I’m totally drinking more than my fair share on this one… nummy nummy.

ashmanra

Aw, that is very sweet if Missy! Now, rub her feet!

Dylan Oxford

She’s a great woman :)

Fjellrev

Gah, I STILL need to try a Keemun.

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90
985 tasting notes

Tea of the morning……

Wow. I am the first to log this one! Since I am a lover of all types of Keemun, I had to give this a try. Since I purchased this one, I requested a sample of Grade 1 Keemun from Teavivre, so it will be fun to compare all three grades of Keemun available from them. I hope I am up to it!

I would say it is slightly smokier tasting (this, of course does not mean it is a smokey tea…) than the Keemun variety I usually drink for breakfast. It also has just a hint of astringency at the end of the taste. In general, that makes this one just a little bolder than I am used to. Since I drink Keemun for a breakfast tea, it is not really a problem, though. I need a little bit of a kick start some mornings. After a few more tastings, I will know if this one will work for me in the long run. The one I liked best was somewhere between this one and the Harney English Breakfast. I think I might try a shorter steep next time or a little less leaf to see if that will improve the flavor for my specific taste. I am sure I will drink it all!

Usual mug method.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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3294 tasting notes

Here’s my 2nd Keemun of the day, & based on previous experience with Keemun teas, this is actually more like what I expect a Keemun to taste like. It’s earth, leather, smoke, a little plum tartness., & a touch of brown sugar. It’s like the library of some pipe smoking english gentleman. There’s a little bit of a bite, & then a lingering satisfaction.

Thanks again to Teavivre for this sample, & this is my 2nd sipdown of the day, leaving me with 327 teas in my cupboard!

Sil

You’ll be at 300 in no time!

ashmanra

I am trying to decide which Keemun to order from them next and it is SO HARD!

Sil is the smokiest from what i tasted, and it gets less smokey as you move up in grades. that being said, i still think the organic is my favourite, followed by the least expensive (#2) haha
Terri HarpLady

Ashmanra, I recommend getting sample sizes of all of them!

Terri HarpLady

I still have a few more to try. I enjoyed all of them so far.

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80
15006 tasting notes

I’m going to try and get to my Teavivre Keemuns today. In order of price per 100g this one is at cheapest and so far, my least favourite :) This is a sort of malty, kind of astringent brew. It’s not a bad tea, but if i only had to have ONE keemun in my cupboard, it wouldn’t be this one. There’s a hint of smokiness hanging out in the background, but nothing that anyone who didn’t like smoke, should have a problem with.

I may edit this later as i use the other half of my sample pack to compare against at least one other version from teavivre.

Edit: i think this one is actually more smoky than i imagine it to be because i’ve gotten used to that level of smoke in my tea and love it, especially with maple.

(also sipdown 4 for today)

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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75
171 tasting notes

Backlogging, and based almost entirely on my notes

Experience buying from Teavivre http://steepster.com/places/2857-teavivre-online

Date of Purchase/Date of Steeping: Received in the fall of 2011 as a free sample (Thank you Angel!), steeped up March 2012.

Appearance and Aroma of dry leaf: Standard keemun leathery-type smell; the tiny somewhat-broken leaves are a uniform dark brown color.

Brewing guidelines: Glass Bodum pot leaf free to roam; stevia added; standard Chinese red tea steeping times and temperatures; four steepings.

Color and Aroma of tea liquor: Clear, light-copper color, with a mild aroma.

Flavor of tea liquor: A little bitter on the first steeping, but it has that characteristic keemun leathery-type taste that I have come to appreciate; second steeping was smooth (so no bitterness) and tasty; third was still flavorful; forth was mild, but still smooth and flavorful.

Appearance of wet leaf: Lots of tiny pieces of tea, such that it looked like large coffee grounds.

Value: This is where this tea really stands out: it’s a great value. I’m a bargain hunter, and I don’t think I could find a decent keemun anywhere better than this price: under $2/OZ.

Overall: I’ve finally got some time to do some backlogging (I don’t like having unfinished business sitting around); I hope to knock out most (if not all) of the teas I have written notes for in the next week or so.

I liked this tea, but my wife didn’t; I think the leathery taste is too weird for her, but that’s exactly why I like keemuns! If you appreciate value, and you like keemun, look no further: this is clearly a tea worth taking a chance on!

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 0 sec
K S

This one does not have a mild smokiness to it? The Hao Ya 1st steep I kind of like but love cup 2 and 3. They lose all the smoke.

SimpliciTEA

Good question. I wish I could answer that. It may have. Now that you mention it, in my experience Keemuns seem to have some similarities to Lapsang Souchongs. Are you thinking about buying some from them depending on how smoky it is (or isn’t)?

K S

I’m thinking I am probably not a big Keemun fan. I like it blended with other teas but it just doesn’t grab me. I was just curious about this one.

SimpliciTEA

Gotcha. I asked because I realized I have what I am guessing is about 3-4 grams of this sample left (When I initially brewed it up I didn’t want to brew up all 15 grams at once), and I am willing send it to you if you were thinking about buying any of it from Teavivre.

K S

Thanks but if I ever get brave enough to try it again I will buy a sample with an order. And I am pretty sure if I am not crazy about Teavivre’s version there is no point looking elsewhere as they definitely know what they are doing.

Bonnie

I didn’t like this at first but gave it another chance and used less leaf the next time to suit me better. I found that the second and third steeping did shine for me.

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92
212 tasting notes

I’m thinking Teavivre is going to be a company Dylan and I patronize for some time. I’m really impressed with the quality of their tea and their customer acquisition plan. Dylan has informed me we are drinking the lowest grade of Keemun they currently sell. This stuff is just awesome! I love it.

It had a medium bodied malt that mellowed out that tea sharpness. I’m not sure how to describe the sharpness. It’s a bite that is pleasant. Basically just makes sure you know you are indeed drinking tea. The smokey flavor takes over and blends with a sweetness that is just divine. I could drink this all day long.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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80
1598 tasting notes

Thanks to Angel at Teavivre for the generous sample!

I chose this one because I like black teas and I’m always looking for more options – I don’t think I’ve had a Keeemun before, unless it was from DavidsTea.

I steeped this for 3 minutes and the result is a golden amber liquor that smells lightly of honey and smoke. It’s quite tantalizing. I’m getting fruit and a hint of smoke with each sip too. It’s really enjoyable, and I’m looking forward to resteeping it!

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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80
69 tasting notes

I don’t know why I hesitated to write a note about this one… I’ve done Grade 1 and Hao Ya, but I seem to forgot about this one. Oh well, better write it now while I’m in mood for it.

This is the cheapest Keemun you can get from TeaVivre. I guess I didn’t really want to buy it, but I felt the urge to get it just to feel how far are they from each other.
Dry leaf is unevenly rolled when compared to other grades and even having some red hue to it.
I find this tea to be few steps from my taste area for breakfast tea. It’s light in taste so I could blend it with Ceylon. On other hand, some finer notes come up when steeped with boiling water and 5-minute sit. It has a somewhat coffee background, only lacking in character, with cocoa and dimmed vegetal notes and even hint of coconut with splash of milk.
Pleasant cuppa, only lacking in character. And when I think about it, it reminds me of Prince of Wales.

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80
3986 tasting notes

Sipdown! (24 | 154)

For some reason, Keemun seems to be the Chinese black tea that I have the least amount of experience with, and very little idea of what it “should” taste like. I’m not sure if that’s because Yunnan and Fujian teas are/were more popular here on Steepster back when some lovely tea friends introduced me to straight teas? Anyway, for some reason I have this idea that Keemun teas are dark and smoky.

Clearly not the case, as this is the lowest-grade Keemun that Teavivre carries and it is neither dark nor smoky in character. Actually, it’s fairly light, with a soft bready quality and notes of hay. There is a light earthy undertone, but nothing close to lower-grade Yunnan teas, which can be very earthy. There’s also a soft fruitiness, like dried cherries perhaps? Something with a bit of tartness to it. I think I’ve heard Keemun described as “winey” before, so maybe that’s what it is.

Anyway, it’s lovely. It actually reminds me quite a bit of wakocha, or maybe a second-flush Darjeeling a bit? Light, aromatic, with bread and hay notes. This does have quite a bit more fruitiness to it though. Either way, I like it!

Flavors: Anise, Bread, Cherry, Dried Fruit, Earth, Hay, Musty, Red Wine, Smooth, Tart

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 5 g 16 OZ / 473 ML
Courtney

This one sounds really tasty. And I really enjoy a good second flush Darjeeling.

gmathis

I always associate good Keemuns with hay and burlap. Like playing in Grandma’s barn (a good sensory memory)!

Cameron B.

I definitely get the hay!

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371 tasting notes

Sample purchased by self. I used my own parameters for the evaluation. Brewed in a porcelain gaiwan, drank from a white porcelain cup. Steeping times: 20 seconds, 10, 20, 30; 1 minute, 2, 6.

I pretty much only pick out a tannic aroma from the dry leaf, which consists of small and short leaves, many broken. The dry leaf aroma changes and becomes more complex after I let the leaf rest in the heated gaiwan, which brings out a light chocolate note and strong purple raisins note. The wet leaf aroma returns to tannins but also equally smells of molasses.

The liquor is dark orange and clear. Overall, this is a brisk, strong-bodied keemun. It doesn’t undergo evolution during the session. Although I read that this keemum would better suit Western-style brewing, I wanted to see how it would brew in the a gongfu session. The first four infusions not only taste brisk, but have the typical keemun thick sweetness of molasses and honey. The tannins rest on the tongue, while the sweetness sticks to the back of the throat. The aftertaste is also sweet but short.

One can easily finish the session with the fourth infusion. Beginning with the fifth, the strength of the tannins declines, although the sweetness remains. This keemun is done by the sixth and seventh infusions, in which a smokiness replaces everything.

Keemun Grade 2 makes an easy-going breakfast tea. Good quality for the grade.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 g 2 OZ / 60 ML

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