Tea quality is relative, as different people have different preferences—some like strong flavors, while others prefer lighter tastes. For example, Keemun Black Tea is characterized by its clear, tender red liquor, refreshing and mild taste, and a subtle sweetness.
Some describe it as having a unique 'Keemun aroma.' High-quality black tea features golden-yellow buds, whether in needle or spiral shapes, with finely textured leaves.
Using 3 grams of Keemun Black Tea steeped in 150 ml of 90°C water for about 5 seconds releases an intense, penetrating aroma. For tea enthusiasts, aroma and taste are the fundamental criteria for evaluating authentic Keemun Black Tea.
The enduring and distinctive 'Keemun aroma' owes its stability to the tea's natural terroir. Authenticity is closely tied to the tea's growing region, which plays a decisive role in its fragrance. However, debates persist within the industry regarding the exact boundaries of authentic Keemun production areas.
Authentic Keemun Black Tea can be identified by a single sip—its aroma is uniquely Keemun. Before even tasting, the scent alone is remarkably sweet and rich, blending orchid, lemon, and rose notes, with a honey-like aftertaste that lingers.
Keemun Congou Black Tea is regarded as the epitome of Chinese black tea due to its labor-intensive production. Traditional handcrafting involves over a dozen steps, including shaking, sieving, bagging, sorting, and roasting, making the process exceptionally intricate.
Modern Keemun Black Tea comes in various styles, but the traditional version is Congou Black Tea—a broken-leaf tea that some find less appealing. Innovations like Keemun Spiral, Keemun Mao Feng, Golden Needle, and Keemun Eyebrow have since emerged.
1. Congou Black Tea is graded into Third, Second, First, Special, and Tribute grades, favored more in southern China and often exported.
2. Keemun Spiral, named for its spiral shape, varies in color based on harvest time—earlier picks yield more golden buds, while later harvests produce darker leaves with fewer buds.
3. The 'Keemun aroma' encompasses various fruity notes, with higher-quality teas exhibiting stronger orchid fragrances.
Additionally, black tea offers health benefits, such as preventing heart disease and lowering blood pressure, thanks to its rich tea pigments (theaflavins, thearubigins, etc.), which combat lipids and inhibit platelet aggregation. Japanese research also shows that black tea, even diluted to five times its usual strength, can neutralize 99.999% of flu viruses due to theaflavins' antibacterial properties.