A macro pile of Chinese Keemun Loose Leaf tea
Chinese Keemun Loose Leaf tea arranged in a circle
Chinese Keemun Loose Leaf tea infusion in a glass cup
Chinese Keemun Loose Leaf tea 50g pack
Chinese Keemun Loose Leaf tea caddy
Chinese Keemun Loose Leaf tea 250g pack
Chinese Keemun Loose Leaf tea 1kg pack

No. 14

Chinese Keemun - Loose Leaf Tea

Sale price£10.95

The godfather of Chinese breakfast teas, this single-origin Keemun offers smooth malty, cacao notes with a hint of spice for a luxurious start to your day

Format
size:100g Caddy
Quantity:

Bold and luxurious, our single origin Keemun loose-leaf black tea from China has a dried fruit and malty aroma and complex characters with an alluring, slight hint of cacao and caramel. Robust in flavour, it tastes of honey and oak, with a smooth mouthfeel that makes it a luxurious alternative to a regular breakfast tea.

With its strong, black wiry leaves and light amber infusion, this single-origin summer flush is a premium, special high-grade version of Keemun black tea that brings deliciously refined luxury to the daily ritual of tea making. The wonderful aroma of this exceptional Chinese loose-leaf black tea is enhanced by adding a splash of milk, which brings out its extraordinary, soft floral notes. Although perfect as a breakfast brew, this refreshing tea can be enjoyed at any time of day.

Requiring great skill to produce, Keemun is the most famous Chinese black tea, known in China as 'Qimen', Keemun is made from the Chinese variety of the tea plant, Camellia Sinensis. Its name stems from its place of origin, Qimen County in China's Anhui province, located between the Yellow Mountains and the Yangtze River. Keemun tea undergoes an unusually slow process of withering and oxidation during production, which creates the nuanced characters and non-astringent flavour that has won it generations of fans as a great breakfast tea.

Keemun was first produced in the late 1800s. At the time, China was primarily exporting green teas, and Keemun's invention was an attempt to compete with the black teas produced in India. Keemun tea quickly became popular in the West and is used as one of the key components of English breakfast tea blends, partly for its flavour and partly for its high caffeine content.

Like all black teas, this smooth Chinese Keemun tea comes with all the benefits of being packed with polyphenols, the antioxidant plant compounds that have been linked to everything from lowering cholesterol and the risk of heart disease to helping improve gut health. If you want to make it a vegan tea, simply serve it black.

Alternatives to this smooth breakfast tea

For more full-flavoured breakfast brews, try our Margaret's Hope Darjeeling or Assam Breakfast or Assam Manjushree all of which are excellent breakfast teas. For something another Chinese black tea, we recommend our Tarry Lapsang Souchong, a strong, smoked tea with an amber infusion with tobacco and burnt caramel notes.

There's more to morning tea than a classic English breakfast or Earl Grey. For the full range of varieties to start your day, check out the range of Breakfast Teas available in our Tea Shop.

Region

Qimen, Anhui Region, China

Keemun, also known as "Qimen" in China, is a celebrated black tea made from the Chinese variety of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis sinensis. Named after its place of origin, Qimen County, in Anhui Province, this tea is cultivated in an area located between the Yellow Mountains and the Yangtze River in eastern China. The region's specific climate and fertile soil contribute to the distinctive flavour profile of Keemun tea, which is highly prized for its smooth, aromatic taste, with subtle fruity and floral notes.

Qimen's unique geographical setting, with its moderate elevation and consistent moisture from surrounding waterways, creates ideal conditions for producing high-quality tea. The tea leaves are harvested with great care, and traditional processing techniques are used to ensure Keemun's distinctive quality and character are preserved. Often used in blends, including classic English Breakfast, Keemun is also appreciated on its own for its balanced and delicate flavour. The combination of Qimen County's natural environment and centuries of tea-making expertise has earned Keemun its reputation as one of the finest black teas from China, admired by tea connoisseurs worldwide.

3g - 4g

200ml

100°C

3 - 5mins