5 tsp for 1,000mL water @ 95C, Breville, four minutes 30 seconds, basket cycle on.
Ohhhhh, yes, baby. I’ve been waiting to treat myself with this lovely Keemun in the Breville. Today’s been rough. Tonight means Keemun Hao Ya. (Breville Tea Maker, you are my friend.)
Toasty, winey. Orchids notes. Some smoke. Some grainy/cereal notes I’ve not picked up before, a bit like Grape Nuts; I guess that’s on the toasty end of the spectrum.
Addition: I normally drink my tea bare — no milk or sugar — but this evening I added maybe 2 tsp of 2% milk to this Keemun. The milk mutes the smokiness at first, yet seems to increase the smoke in the finish. Milk als amps up the wineyness. It’s nice, but I don’t enjoy it as much.
4.5 tsp for 750mL water @95C, steeped 4 minutes 30 seconds — Breville, basket cycle on.
The last of my precious Keemun Hao Ya.
RED liquor. Toasty, biscuity notes. Distant smoke in the nose. Some wineyness. A bit of oak. All the usual Keemun Hao Ya gorgeousness. Such a beautiful black tea.
1.5 tsp for 300mL @ 95C, steeped 4 minutes, drunk bare.
I try to save this Keemun for the weekends, because it’s expensive and hard to get, but after another try-to-choke-down-the-new-Davids-Breakfast fiasco, I figured I deserved this.
As always, a delight. I find the slightly cooler water brings out sweeter notes and more of the orchid scent. (The cooler water also tames some of the bitter smoke in the lower grades of Keemun, which can get a bit tarry.) Some lovely biscuit notes tonight, too.
1.25 tsp for 250mL water @90C, steeped 4 minutes.
I’m at a workshop and depending on big urn of hot water for tea. The water is hot and steamig but not bubbling, so I am guessing it’s about 90C. This temp makes for a creamy, heavy-bodied Keemun today, with sweet and almost fruity notes, plus a lovely floral scent. HEAVEN.
1.5 tsp for 300mL water @95C, steeped three minutes and thirty seconds.
Oh, oh, OH! I can taste orchids! The slightly cooler water brings out this tea’s sweeter, more floral notes, almost oolong-y. I used cooler water by accident. The oak and smoke and minerals remain but are gentler. So clean. Really special.
1.5 tsp for 300mL water @100C, steeped 4 minutes.
A toasty, slightly smoky, slightly winey Keemun. Orchid notes in the scent. Mineral finish. Delicious.
