Keemun tea, also known as Qimen tea, is a popular red tea from China’s An Hui region. It has a fruity, smoky, and sweet flavor with floral and wine-like overtones. Keemun tea was first produced in 1875 and is often classified as black tea in Western cultures. It is among China’s “Ten Famous Chinese Teas” and is steeped for up to 10 minutes to reveal its bold yet smooth qualities.
Keemun tea has been one of the most popular exports from the An Hui region of southern China since the time of the Qing Dynasty in the late 19th century. Translated into Chinese as “Great Gate,” this red tea is often classified as black in Western cultures, mirroring the deep amber hue of darker teas. Its distinctive flavor and aroma combine fruitiness, smokiness and sweetness, along with floral and wine-like overtones, to create a well-caffeinated and flavorful force of nature.
Also known as Qimen tea, Qi Hong or Qi Men Hong, keemun tea was first produced in An Hui’s Huangshan City in 1875, which is located in the historical county of Qi Men. After learning of red and black tea production in other regions, a former government employee named Yu Quianchen settled in Huangshan City to plant red tea plants in place of the green tea plants that had monopolized production until then. of local tea. The soil and rainy climate of the area still produces a tea with few comparisons.
Hints of different flavors combine in keemun tea, which is often thought to be black tea but actually has a red hue. The main elements most detected are notes of orchid flowers, a mad pine and fruits such as plum or apricot. The flavor of the dried fruit leads some to note that keemun tea has similarities in taste to some darker wines. The natural sweetness of this tea, however, pales in comparison to popular black teas, such as orange pekoe or Darjeeling varieties in India.
Keemun tea is among the most popular teas of China: black, red green or other. It is in the country’s age-old list of “Ten Famous Chinese Teas”, which is often reviewed for trade purposes to understand the country’s selection of tea exports. In Western countries, many red teas such as keemun are classified as black teas; however, Asian countries classify keemun as red.
The most popular grades of keemun are known as hao ya and mao feng. The younger leaves of the former variety have a silvery hue; the latter type is made by twisting the young shoots before the drying process. Other varieties include xin ya, another early variation of the leaves, and congou, which cuts tea leaves into uniformly thin pieces. Many teas steeped in keemun for up to 10 minutes, which is longer than most teas, to fully reveal its bold yet smooth qualities.
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