Superfine Keemun Fragrant Black Tea

Free sample from Teavivre. Thank you.

On opening the packet I did my usual thing and stuck my nose right inside, before breathing in deeply. There is a warmth to the aroma of the dry leaf. My first thought is of hay, but tempered with the smell of fresh wheat, newly harvested and threshed. This aroma develops into something slightly malty and a bit flowery when the tea is brewed. The taste of the liquor is sweet and mellow. There are chocolatey undertones here, but little of the maltiness of other similar teas. Instead it is lighter and the unmalted grain flavour comes through. I’m not sure I get the fruitiness that Teavivre’s site tell me is there, but the sweet, mellow, grainy flavour is very good, and the aftertaste lingers pleasantly on. I like this tea.

This tea was a wonderful way to start the day. With most Keemuns I tend to use a bit more leaf and I increase the steep time to about 5 or 6 minutes. I could smell the fragrance. A beautiful aroma. The flavor was so smooth with hints of chocolate and whole grain fresh baked bread. The best part was the lingering taste in my mouth long after I stopped drinking. Sublime. Well worth adding to your tea collection….

1 heaping tsp for 8 oz

I am going to be sampling a few different Keemuns over the next few days. In my last tea phase, I drank Keemun almost daily. It was my favorite breakfast tea.

This Keemun is much smoother and lighter than the Keemuns I remember. It will be interesting to try others I have from Adagio, Harney, etc. This one doesn’t really scream Keemun to me. It is a very pleasant, smooth black tea but doesn’t have too much personality as far as I’m concerned. The Bailin Gongfu had a thick maltiness going for it, and this is just lighter all around. I’ll try a longer steep maybe next time though I do want to avoid any bitterness or astringency.

My first Teavivre! This came as a lovely surprise in my mailbox from Terri Harplady much appreciated!
I sipped this all morning. I followed the directions on the website for three western steeps. The first steep at 1 minute was quite pale and weak. Steep 2 had a sweet, juicy taste to it. My favourite steep. Steep three was less juiny, but still fruity and I probably could’ve gotten another steep out of it, but my daughter forced me to make cupcakes.

This one is very nice and strong(steeped strong)with no bitter and slightly malty(assam type maltyness)flavor changes with more steeps ending with a very nice almost plum-like flavors, I really like this one. Very good with a little milk and a touch of sweetener.

I have really grown to love Keemun black teas. This one did not disappoint. It’s got all of the characteristics one might expect from a keemun, but this one seems a bit more refined than the usual fare. It’s definitely on the light side for a keemun, but at the same time the flavors and aromas are noticeable. The smokiness is there as expected, but the dominant aroma in this cup is unmistakeably floral. Those are the aromas at the forefront, with subtle malt, hay, and cocoa notes floating in the background. The finish is slightly bitter and dry, in a very enjoyable way, with very slight cherry/strawberry notes at the tail end. Despite all the flavors that sometimes indicate a heavy drink, this one leaves me feeling refreshed.

Very good. Many thanks to the wonderful people at Teavivre.

I used 1 tsp of leaf for this cup.
This tea took me by suprise, I wasn’t expecting it to taste this good. It is slightly sweet with light fruity notes. I am also getting a little bit of a malty note to this. In the aftertaste, I am getting subtle floral notes.
I didn’t get a chance to re-steep but I suspect it would still be wonderful.

Colour me shocked, I will now have to try their other offerings of Keemuns.

The tea consists of small, thinly rolled, black leaves that smell a little like earthy fermented fruit.

Once brewed the tea soup is browny red in colour with the same malty yet sweet fermented fruit fragrance.

This truly is superfine. It’s smooth and fresh with no bitterness or chemical taste (like some other Keemun’s have). The taste is sweet and malty but in a subtle form that remains light. A great light black tea that can be drank at any time of the day.

Free sample provided by Teavivre for review

Many thanks to Angel and Teavivre who contacted me about doing another round of reviews. The shipping was REALLY FAST this time-8 days to my door! And of course, practically before I opened the box, Angel messaged me to make sure everything was okay with the shipment. Teavivre is really on the ball and I love it! I received approximately 16-21 grams of every tea in individual foil bags all inside one large re-sealable foil pouch.

This tea is first up, it being a Keemun (which I really enjoy) and a new tea being offered by Teavivre.

The dry leaves are long, a dark chocolate brown, and twisted to be very thin, with just a couple of light brown leaves mixed in. The scent is very fruity, similar to some FF Darjeelings, but without the accompanying “weedy” smell.

First Steep (Infused One minute @195) The liquor is predominantly orange with touches of red and brown. Brewed leaves smell more fruity and a little floral-a bit like a Ruby Black. Flavor is smooth with a fruity finish. No smokey or chocolate notes really. I did catch a couple tannins while splashing this around the back of my mouth.

Second Steep (Infused for 2 minutes) Brewed leaves are really starting to smell like a Ruby Black now-according to my notes, that means a little malty and a little of some type of mint. The flavor is weaker. I’m catching just a tiny hint of smoke and chocolate. Tannins are a little more noticeable. Mouthfeel is almost light.

Third Steep (Infused 3 minutes) Brewed leaves smell more like Ruby Black than ever-crowding out other notes. The tea is now starting to taste a bit like Ruby Black, although overall the flavor is weaker.

As always, this is a high quality tea from Teavivre. If you have wanted to try Keemun, but are afraid of smoky notes, this is your tea. However, if you really enjoy the distinctive smoke and chocolate notes, you may miss that with this cup.

This sample was generously provide to me by Teavivre. Thank you Angel and the whole Teavivre Team.
Dry Leaf: Has a sweet grainy or malt type of aroma or even a faint smoke aroma.
Wet Leaf: Has is more dominate in the malt aroma.
Liquor: Was a bright and beautiful red with a orange tint to it.
Taste: I get a slight plum flavor along with a malt type of flavor and a splash of a floral flavor and a super soft smoke. This tea was very smooth too.
Overall Opinion: I give this tea a 90. This tea is smoother and more refined compared to the other Keemun they sell.
Vessel: SAMA DOYO Gongfu/Kungfu teapot. 7 grams of leaf to 220ml or 7 oz. water to inner cup of pot.