Premium Qimen Black Tea of Huangshan

SIPDOWN
Hard to believe I’ve gone through the entire 250 g pouch of this Premium Qimen Mao Feng black tea but, as another note here mentioned, it’s forgettable. That’s not to say it’s bad, and I rather enjoyed it— but I wasn’t overjoyed by it. My lot was from the Spring 2022 harvest, and now (in June 2025) this is my last session with it, having poured out the final 5 g of leaf into my infusion basket. Past experience has taught me that a single 4 minute western infusion with boiling water yields a strong, muddled, cardboard-y mess, so I dropped the temp a bit and allowed only 30 sec. for each weatern steep.

First steeping was more floral and delicate and not what I sought. Someone mentioned it being a nice cup to keep cozy with, and that’s probably on-target, if I was wanting to get cozy. Second steeping was considerably stronger with a deeper malty base supporting the remaining floral notes. This also had the spicy keemun flavor that I was wanting. Neither astringent nor bitter, and with a pleasing long finish on the tongue and nose. Third infusion had a woodier aroma, probably because my water got away from me, closer to a boil, but there were still some floral notes. Flavorwise, the base notes had weakened considerably and were still ok— not as nice as the second steep! Still no bitter or sourness, and just a bit astringent in the third steep (not mouth-puckering, though!). By the time it had cooled down, the weakness of the third steep became evident and I discarded the last, sad, ounce.

Overall, this tea is almost where I wanted it, relative to my favorite Keemun, just meriting a 75 rating. If there had been more body to the first steeping, it would have been a solid 85. I’d recommend it though, because you won’t remember having sipped it by next week. ;-)

[Spring 2023 harvest]

I am not very fond of this vintage. It has a decent aroma, similar to the previous ones. However, the flat taste is not so pleasant overall. The tea is a bit sour and has some dryness to it that rubs me the wrong way. In any case, as a tea to dring with breakfast it is still fine.

Sipdown

Thank you Sil for the share! This was middle of the road, as you suggested.

When I opened the steeped tea container, I got a lot of cinnamon in the scent for some reason but then the flavour just fell flat. It’s smooth and inoffensive but also is missing something to really stand out/round this out. I get maybe some berry and some cocoa perhaps. But not as bitter as you’d expect with that flavour combo. It’s not super malty. It seems at times like it maybe wanted to be spiced or smoked and just isn’t. Like it’s not bad but just seems to fall short of actually having a notable flavour profile.

Fun to try. Easy to drink. Forgettable.

Middle of the road tea for me. Nothing exceptional but nothing terrible.

I like Keemuns and can appreciate many different kinds of them. There are fancy ones, with a complex aroma and many flavors. There are working horses packing a welcoming punch in the morning for those who prefers them to morning coffee. This Keemun from Yunnan Sourcing is the comforting, cozy type.

The dry leaves are pretty long even for Mao Feng Keemuns. The aroma has less malt and more of dark berries, wild flowers and honey: it is a pretty good. I brewed it Western style since I treat Keemuns as not a tea to savor but a good working companion helping you to get through your busy day.

The taste is mild, comforting and relaxing rather than bracing. The original punch of malt is there but it is much more muted than many lower-priced Keemuns. It has some quality of the rush one feels after downing a shot of strong hard liquor and it quickly transitions to a more complex second taste of berries, oats, honey and something certainly floral. The aftertaste lingers for a long time and is VERY pleasant.

The second infusion was markedly less smooth, with a pronounced maltiness and a strong taste of bitter-sweet dark chocolate. Plus a hint of molasses. It was still a very good cup of tea but with a very different flavor profile, as if they were two completely different teas.

Overall, I liked this Keemun a lot. I have to admit though that I am partial to Mao Fengs and prefer them to most Hao Yas. Yunnan Sourcing started offering Qimen just recently and, I believe this is the only kind that they sell but it is quite good and I hope they would consider expanding their selection.