This distinctive organic Chinese tea originally hailed from the Qimen County of Huangshan, in China's eastern Anhui province. In fact, "Keemun" was actually the English spelling for "Qimen". This Fair Trade Certified organic loose tea consists of medium sized, twisted leaves. Its brown infusion features a smooth slighty roasted quality, with a sweet juicy finish. Because of these qualities, Keemuns are often compared to Burgundy wines. Grown and manufactured in the neighboring Jiangxi Province, this organic and Fair Trade Certified Keemun is a great example of an affordable Keemun.
This organic tea is our standard grade Keemun organic black tea. For those looking for a higher grade Keemun, please try our Organic Keemun Premium Black Tea.
Ingredients: organic and Fair Trade Certified Chinese black tea
Jiangxi Province, located in eastern China, is surrounded by mountains on three sides and sits comfortably in a subtropical climate, making it an excellent place for growing tea. Situated in Wuyuan county, the Da Zhang Shan Tea Garden maintains the region’s 1200-year reputation as the “golden triangle” of exceptional tea production. Certified organic in 1997, Da Zhang Shan was the first producer organization in China to gain Fair Trade certification in 2001. With over 5,400 member households, the Da Zhang Shan Tea Association has used their premiums to renovate 3 factories, establish a microcredit program, and build a school, among many other initiatives.
At Arbor Teas, we believe tea should be brewed to suit your personal taste. We’re happy to make recommendations to get you started, but don’t hesitate to experiment! When brewing your tea, your main considerations are tea quantity, water temperature, and steeping time. We recommend black teas to be steeped for 3 to 5 minutes in water heated to a full, rolling boil. For the best flavor, use fresh water whenever possible, and avoid overboiling. Try not to steep your tea longer than necessary, as you’ll extract undesirable bitterness from the leaves. If you want a stronger brew, don’t steep longer, just use more tea. And don’t forget to re-steep your tea leaves to get the most out of your leaf!
Looking for more info? Check out our How-To Guides and Eco-Brewing Tips!
"This tea is a nice low-key option, it does not overwhelm or overpower. Great for blending or as a smooth, unobtrusive self drinker."
If you have ever tried chewing on the base of flover flower peddles, this tea is like drinking that flavor. A nice flowery sweetness with little bitterness. It smells like honey. I personally like intensly bitter tea, so this one isn't my favorite by intself, but I find I can add it to other tea varietals for an extra sweetness. Tea engergy: I feel lightly stimulated. It mostly feels inert.
I don't know what happened with this tea, but the last two times I've gotten it it has been nearly flavorless. It used to be my favorite tea. Oh, well, the English Breakfast and Assam are still good.
The description refers to a "slightly roasted" flavor, but for me that roasted taste overpowered nearly everything else. I can barely taste the tea. It's not terrible, but it's not something I would buy again.
I've been trying out different black teas lately, and so far this is my favorite. Many black teas have a very standard malty taste which is fine but not very interesting. This one is considerably more complex as well as lighter tasting. It's a bit like a Darjeeling, but smoother. I'll definitely be getting more of this.
This Keemun was a nice surprise. A little light flavor wise unless you use more leaf but this tea has a pleasant fruity flavor and aroma. A definite note of grapes and raspberry linger with a subtle sweetness and mild acidity. There are faint notes of your typical black tea citrus in there but you have to really try to find them. Overall a decent tea at a good price that's unique enough to stand out against other Chinese and South Asian black teas.
This tea has a bouquet of flavors and aromas, but they're all subtle and mild enough to create a comfortable cup, rather than an overwhelming or unpleasant experience. The scents remind me of autumn and warm rain: leafy, loamy, and rich. There are faint undertones of fruit, like grape or pear, like the tannins in wine. The flavors match the scents, but with a coppery warmth layered over them. This tea isn't particularly astringent, if brewed well, and I can get about 2 steeps from the leaves before they lose flavor. This tea is particularly delicious when lightly sweetened, but didn't stand up well to milk. Overall, I greatly enjoyed this tea!
Very smooth. Deep and full with a lovely finish which I can't quite describe. My buddy says "sweet". To me, it was like a perfect fruit, but not sweet! Maybe that's why it is described as winey. In any case, we're ordering more. We've been enjoying the black tea sampler since it arrived. Tea time is our new routine and is helping get us through the pandemic. Thanks!
I have only just tried it for the first time and loved it. Perfect "everyday" tea, just the right strength to drink plain, not as elegant and complex as my favorite Darjeeling, but more "hearty" and "warming." Will be ordering more.
This is some of my favorite black tea. It's fairly strong and goes well with milk.
Finely twisted variable leaves dark brown, some twigs. Sweet black smell while dry with fair roasted scent. Infused red brown. Smooth mouth feel with same roasted taste and smell. Hint of spice. One of my more favorite black selections from Arbor Teas for it subtle spice and roast qualities
The weakest, blandest Keemun I have ever tasted. Not much scent either. Not worth it.
When brewed correctly this Qimen has some fruity notes, and smells strongly of it. While not the highest grade Qimen (Arbor actually sells a higher grade) it's an excellent daily tea, one of my favorites in fact, especially considering the price.
There's a slight earthiness to this tea. It's good but the Keemun doesn't "wow" me. Just okay, probably good as a daily black tea.
This one just didn't do anything for me. It was 'okay,' but not really worth ordering again.
First wiff of this stuff reminds me of "Smoke", no idea why. The taste is identical to the smell, however much milder than one would expect. I have no reason to rate this less than 5 leaves even though I probably wont be buying it in bulk. Its a solid tea, but probably has to fit your own personality, I can see why some people are not a fan, but if its your thing....you may have an everyday drinker.
I'm making my way though a bunch of samples, and this is my first, so I don't really have much to which I can make a comparison. That said, s'ok. I wasn't blown away or anything, but it was good. Honestly, it tastes fairly generic. I got two good infusions, but it didn't really open up until the second. I guess it would make a good daily drinker.
If you like smokey teas, you may enjoy this one. To me, this tastes like a normal everyday black tea with some Lapsang Souchong mixed in. The smokeyness is not overpowering, but prominent. However, since I'm not a big fan of smokey teas, I won't be getting this one again.
I am beginning to appreciate black teas and this is my current favorite. From the deep rich color to the full-bodied flavor this is one to savor on its own or with a meal. I much prefer it without milk.
This Keemun is a remarkably complex tea. This should be enjoyed by itself not to be consumed unconsciously while wolfing down a meal! I appreciate a smokey taste as well as other complex flavors. I do not drink it with milk. This may be my favorite black tea.
I like Keemun because it takes milk well and I have tried a lot of them over the years. This Keemun is excessively bland it's really not in the running with the delicious Keemuns on the market (not fair trade unfortunately). I only use it as an extender for Arbor's full-flavored Yunnan. I can make a much tastier tea from three parts of this to one part of the more expensive Yunnan. Find a better Keemun guys!
Full-bodied with molassess notes, subtle milkiness and light coppery finish.