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When glancing over the reviews of this tea here on Steepster, I noticed that many reviewers received this tea as a free sample. I’m in the same boat. I received two free sample sachets of this breakfast tea with a recent Harney & Sons order. At first, I was psyched because I love traditional breakfast tea blends, but after finishing both sachets, I was disappointed.

This particular breakfast tea is apparently Keemun black tea from the Anhui Province of China. I have no clue whether it is a single origin tea or a blend. Normally, I like Keemun. I tend to think of it as a nice, approachable black tea that can be enjoyed just about any time of the year. This, however, just did not deliver the qualities I expect of a good Keemun.

I prepared this tea using a one step Western infusion process. I followed the recommended brewing method from Harney & Sons. I steeped each sachet in 8 ounces of 212 F water for 5 minutes. I normally do not reinfuse breakfast teas and I did not do so here.

After infusion, the light amber liquor produced a mildly fruity, herbal aroma. It kind of reminded me of a combination of raisins, toffee, and plums. I could not quite place the herbal scent. In the mouth, I detected strangely fleeting notes of toffee, cream, toast, malt, raisins, and plums. There was also a slightly grassy herbal note that was fairly faint. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get anything else out of this tea.

I have no clue what went wrong with this one. This is supposed to be one hundred percent Keemun, but it sure doesn’t smell or taste like it. This tea lacks the earthiness, leatheriness, and smokiness of the Keemuns I have consumed in the past. I also did not get the cocoa impressions I tend to get from many Keemuns. Another point I should stress is that I do not tend to think of Keemun as specifically being a breakfast tea. When I reach for a breakfast tea, I want something strong, dark, and brisk. I think more of Assam or blends of Assam, Chinese, Ceylonese, and/or African teas. I do not think of straight-up Keemun, and weak, oddly lifeless Keemun at that. In the end, I suppose this tea was at least drinkable, but it lacked character and depth. I would most certainly not recommend it to those looking for a reliable, flavorful breakfast tea.