Organic Superfine Keemun Fragrant Black Tea

This one is very nice and strong(steeped strong)with no bitter and slightly malty(assam type maltyness)flavor changes with more steeps ending with a very nice almost plum-like flavors, I really like this one. Very good with a little milk and a touch of sweetener.

This tea was a wonderful way to start the day. With most Keemuns I tend to use a bit more leaf and I increase the steep time to about 5 or 6 minutes. I could smell the fragrance. A beautiful aroma. The flavor was so smooth with hints of chocolate and whole grain fresh baked bread. The best part was the lingering taste in my mouth long after I stopped drinking. Sublime. Well worth adding to your tea collection….

The tea consists of small, thinly rolled, black leaves that smell a little like earthy fermented fruit.

Once brewed the tea soup is browny red in colour with the same malty yet sweet fermented fruit fragrance.

This truly is superfine. It’s smooth and fresh with no bitterness or chemical taste (like some other Keemun’s have). The taste is sweet and malty but in a subtle form that remains light. A great light black tea that can be drank at any time of the day.

_{Tea provided by Teavivre for review}

The first through sixth steeps were actually pretty consistent in flavour. Sometimes Keemun black tea is a bit harsh or almost bitter, but this one was very nice and mellow. Just the right mixture of usual Keemun characteristics, earthy, malty, and hints of spices.

Overall this is one of the better Keemun black teas I’ve tried (which isn’t a whole lot, maybe about 6-7 now). Throughout the six steeps, it never became bitter or too strong. That being said, I’m not a big fan of this type of black tea but it still managed to exceed my expectations. I’ll have to try this western style sometime with the rest of my samples.

100ml gaiwan, 2 tsp (4g-ish), rinse and 6 short steeps (from their website: 15s, 30s, 45s, 1m10s, 1m40s, 2m10s)

1 heaping tsp for 8 oz

I am going to be sampling a few different Keemuns over the next few days. In my last tea phase, I drank Keemun almost daily. It was my favorite breakfast tea.

This Keemun is much smoother and lighter than the Keemuns I remember. It will be interesting to try others I have from Adagio, Harney, etc. This one doesn’t really scream Keemun to me. It is a very pleasant, smooth black tea but doesn’t have too much personality as far as I’m concerned. The Bailin Gongfu had a thick maltiness going for it, and this is just lighter all around. I’ll try a longer steep maybe next time though I do want to avoid any bitterness or astringency.

My allergies have been particularly rough during the last several days. This morning I planned ahead. I steamed out my sinuses in the shower so I’d be ready to accurately review this tea from Teavivre without any blockages.

When I first opened the sample package of this tea, the aroma that burst forth from the fine dry leaves was almost a little pungent. I wasn’t sure I was going to like the brewed version if this aroma carried into the flavor.

I steeped the tea for three minutes at 195 degrees as recommended (actually, 194 degrees was recommended, but what’s one degree between friends?). The brew that resulted can be best described as a muddy honey color.

I was happy to learn that there was no pungent aroma to the brewed tea. The smell was light and rather nondescript.

I was pleased to find that the taste was sweet and amiable. There also was a flavor attribute present similar to oatmeal. Bitterness did not exist.

I enjoyed two cups of this tea very much. It is a tasty black brew with a full sweet but gentle flavor.

Shame on me for doubting Teavivre EVEN for one second! This selection is another winner in Teavivre’s constantly growing array of fine teas.

Keemun is my all time favorite black tea. Now as I say that I realize that almost every black tea I review is my favorite black tea. But I think for sure keemun is my favorite, but maybe also CTC assam is my favorite. Hmmmm.

This keemun smells like keemun. It is hard to describe how it smells. There are hints of chocolate, coffee bean, and there is a floral fragrance to it. The tea tastes the same as it smells. It is a medium bodied tea. I find it to be very refreshing. Good for any time of the day, unless you want to sleep at night, then maybe avoid it in the evening.

_{Free sample provided by Teavivre for review}

Many thanks to Angel and Teavivre who contacted me about doing another round of reviews. The shipping was REALLY FAST this time-8 days to my door! And of course, practically before I opened the box, Angel messaged me to make sure everything was okay with the shipment. Teavivre is really on the ball and I love it! I received approximately 16-21 grams of every tea in individual foil bags all inside one large re-sealable foil pouch.

This tea is first up, it being a Keemun (which I really enjoy) and a new tea being offered by Teavivre.

The dry leaves are long, a dark chocolate brown, and twisted to be very thin, with just a couple of light brown leaves mixed in. The scent is very fruity, similar to some FF Darjeelings, but without the accompanying “weedy” smell.

First Steep _{(Infused One minute @195)} The liquor is predominantly orange with touches of red and brown. Brewed leaves smell more fruity and a little floral-a bit like a Ruby Black. Flavor is smooth with a fruity finish. No smokey or chocolate notes really. I did catch a couple tannins while splashing this around the back of my mouth.

Second Steep _{(Infused for 2 minutes)} Brewed leaves are really starting to smell like a Ruby Black now-according to my notes, that means a little malty and a little of some type of mint. The flavor is weaker. I’m catching just a tiny hint of smoke and chocolate. Tannins are a little more noticeable. Mouthfeel is almost light.

Third Steep _{(Infused 3 minutes)} Brewed leaves smell more like Ruby Black than ever-crowding out other notes. The tea is now starting to taste a bit like Ruby Black, although overall the flavor is weaker.

As always, this is a high quality tea from Teavivre. If you have wanted to try Keemun, but are afraid of smoky notes, this is your tea. However, if you really enjoy the distinctive smoke and chocolate notes, you may miss that with this cup.

Thank you Teavivre for this sample!

Delicious sweet dark chocolate cherry notes. Very bright in the mouth with a slight cooling following a swallow. Slight malt at the end of the sip and a little astringency.

Extremely delicious.

This sample was generously provide to me by Teavivre. Thank you Angel and the whole Teavivre Team.
Dry Leaf: Has a sweet grainy or malt type of aroma or even a faint smoke aroma.
Wet Leaf: Has is more dominate in the malt aroma.
Liquor: Was a bright and beautiful red with a orange tint to it.
Taste: I get a slight plum flavor along with a malt type of flavor and a splash of a floral flavor and a super soft smoke. This tea was very smooth too.
Overall Opinion: I give this tea a 90. This tea is smoother and more refined compared to the other Keemun they sell.
Vessel: SAMA DOYO Gongfu/Kungfu teapot. 7 grams of leaf to 220ml or 7 oz. water to inner cup of pot.

Another day and another review of samples from Teavivre! This time around its Organic superfine Keemun that found its way in my cuppa this morning to much of my delight! The tea has much of the usual Keemun qualities of a slightly smoky plum flavor but with characteristics of Assam in the starchy department. The brew itself at near boiling water yielded a smooth liquor, non astringent without much bitterness on the palate. An excellent quality tea made with buds, great taste and makes a fine cuppa! Drink on Steepsterites!

I received this tea as a sample and I’m glad I did!
Small ebony leaf, smells like caramel, honey or candy in the bag without being cloying.
A light sweet smooth, plum-like, cocoa-caramel, very low in smokiness with no bitterness. No one scent overpowers, but a rich and mellow flavored Keemun. Priced economically, a good tea either hot or cold