SimplyJenW

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Hubei Province Keemun Ji Hong from Upton Tea Imports

SimplyJenW drank Hubei Province Keemun Ji Hong by Upton Tea Imports

Tea of the morning….. (SRP #5)

I can’t believe I have an untried Keemun in my possession. It has been in my sample bin since last November. See, it is a good thing to check what you have every so often.

This is very good. The leaves are not long, but they are fine (narrow) like the higher grades of Keemun. There are light notes of smoke, and cocoa, just like you would find in a good Keemun. A great breakfast tea on its own for sure. It is currently (as of April 14, 2012) $8.40 for 125 grams, so roughly $2 an ounce. I do think it is slightly richer tasting than the Organic Heng Ru Keemun which is a little less expensive. Not sure I would need the more expensive one, though, but I might spring for this at some point as my stores of Keemun are down to only the Heng Ru and my precious Harney Keemun Mao Feng. And, I must try ALL the Keemuns at Upton, just because they make it so reasonable to do so!

Usual teapot method.

2012-04-14 11:56:44 -0400

205 °F / 96 °C

4 min 0 sec

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LiberTEAS 2012-04-14 12:28:58 -0400

I love that they offer inexpensive samples of everything too.

Dylan Oxford 2012-04-14 12:54:33 -0400

Wow, I just looked at all of their samples, that’s a definite plus. And extremely reasonable shipping. May have to order from these folks.

SimplyJenW 2012-04-14 13:01:21 -0400

@Dylan-They are fabulous, too (I have ordered from them about 10 times). The problem there is trying to decide what to try, because there are so many choices.

Dylan Oxford 2012-04-14 13:14:29 -0400

There really are. I was just going through their chai selection. And excuse me, but 19 Earl Greys? Sheesh!

Azzrian 2012-04-14 13:20:22 -0400

Yeah I have their catalogue – wow – I can’t even get a grasp on all of it!

SimplyJenW 2012-04-14 13:45:47 -0400

It does help to concentrate on one thing at a time. I think I ran my way through the Chinese- Other Congou first, trying to get a handle on what different price points taste like. Then I went through the chais, too. Now, I try the new Keemuns whenever they come in. At some point I will tackle Darjeelings, but that category is so huge!

Dylan Oxford 2012-04-14 14:15:56 -0400

Yeah, wow. That’s a lot of darjeelings.

Cheryl 2012-04-14 14:19:29 -0400

Upton is an excellent place to test different varieties. Having already tested most of the flavored ones that I wanted to, I’m now in the vortex of unflavored that’s endless, lol. Super customer service too (lightning fast).

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Bio

Tea enthusiast, trying to keep up my cardio for the zombie apocalypse. I have come to accept that I am a western brewing black tea drinker as that is where my ‘tea heart’ lies. I started on loose leaf as a way to have my dessert and not suffer the caloric issues. Once I tried it, I was hooked.

I drink what I like, which is mostly China blacks, traditionally scented blacks and Earl Greys, plus a few other flavored teas. I don’t mind spending a bit on premium varieties on occasion, but an expensive tea has to deliver. My favorite places to order are Harney & Sons and Upton Tea Imports. TeaVivre is great for Chinese tea.

My ratings are pretty subjective. If it falls under 70, I may not take the time to post about it unless I had something specific to say. If it is 70-80 I like it, but I will probably not rebuy. Favorites are over 80 and up, but sometimes the less expensive or more easily obtainable version of a similar taste will win out for my cupboard space.

Usual teapot steeping method: 24 oz teapot, 3 perfect scoops of tea (4 1/2 actual tsp), freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Usual mug steeping method: 15 oz mug, 1.5 perfect scoops of tea (just over 2 actual tsp), freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Usual pan method: 1 1/2 cups water, 2 perfect tsp chai (3 actual tsp). Simmer for 3 minutes. Add 2/3 cup skim milk. Simmer for 2 more minutes. Strain and sweeten.

Usual pitcher method:
5 or 6 Perfect Spoons of tea (this means about 7-9 actual tsp), freshly boiled water, brewed essentially double-strong in my 24 oz teapot for 4 minutes. Fill my Fiestaware Disc pitcher (about 60 oz.) halfway with ice. Add brewed double-strong tea to the pitcher. Stir it a little and enjoy. No additions.

(*SRP is my Sample/Stash Reduction Plan starting on April 12, 2012. I got so far, but just decided it was too fussy to keep track.)