Keemun Double-Header: Keemun by Narien Teas and Teas Etc

Black tea, Tea reviews

Long-time readers of this blog will be well aware of my fondness for black teas. While I concede that black tea doesn’t — for the most part — have the depth or range you can find in other types of tea, I remain an avowed fan of our fully oxidized friend. This morning, with heavy eyes from too little sleep, I decided to turn my attention to one of the most well-regarded of all black teas: keemun.

Keemun is a region in Anhui Province, China, near the city of Huangshan and the Huang Shan Mountains (where one finds the teahouse I featured several weeks ago). It’s a temperate, wet area where tea grows amidst rain-soaked clouds and mist.

I have two Keemun teas to sample today: Narien Teas’ Keemun Imperial and Teas Etc’s Keemun. Note to the FTC and those readers who care: Both these teas were sent to me as free samples.

Keemun Imperial by Narien Teas

The name of this tea is surely a throwback to the days of the Tang, Song, Ming and Qing Dynasties, when Keemun was one of the Imperial Tribute Teas. The emperor of the day commanded an exclusive right over the Imperial Tribute teas, which were given him by loyal followers for whom the ‘gift’ was little more than a tax payment.

Narien’s Keemun is a smooth black tea with a slight smokiness. It has a buttery note that reminds me of Yunnan’s black teas, though the butteriness is less pronounced than I find in Yunnan blacks.

Keemun was the original English Breakfast tea, and as I enjoy Narien’s version, I can see why. Keemun is wonderfully smooth, with a refinement that sets it apart from most black teas. These days, most English Breakfast teas are blends of black teas from different regions (the organic English Breakfast tea I reviewed earlier this year combined teas from Assam, Darjeeling and Ceylon, for example), but dipping into Keemun gives me a new-found appreciation for what must once have been a most wonderful blend.

Narien Teas’ Keemun Imperial is not my favourite Keemun, nor is it Narien’s best tea (my vote for that still goes to their wonderful Earl Grey tea). While it is quite smooth, I find that it doesn’t have as much depth as I would like.

Keemun Imperial is available from Narien Teas for $11 for 4 oz.

Keemum by Teas Etc

Teas Etc have garnered quite a reputation over the past few years. Earlier this year, they won two gold prizes at the World Tea Expo for their Assam Reserve and Ceylon OP1. This Keemun didn’t win any prizes, but black tea certainly seems to be one of their strengths.

The first thing that I notice about this keemun as opposed to the Narien Teas’ version is the size and shape of the leaves. Whereas the Narien Teas Imperial Keemun is composed of small, mostly broken leaves, Teas Etc’s Keemun has some longer, twisted leaves. As it turns out, this has quite an impact on the tea’s flavour.

Teas Etc’s Keemun has a lighter colour than the Narien Keemun (though this could have something to do with the amount of dry leaf I used). It has a lovely aroma of fruit and smoke. Like Narien’s Keemun, this one is very smooth, but it has a rounder, more balanced mouthfeel. A lingering sweetness gives it fruity notes while there is a certain delicacy to it that is almost floral.

Keemun is available from Teas Etc for $5.95 for a 1 oz. tin.