The core areas of growing Keemun black tea are all mountainous and covered with forests and characterized by low temperatures, high humidity, frequent fog and fertile soil.

These good natural conditions are very suitable for the growth of Keemun tea trees. Castanopsis carlesii, the main local tea cultivar, is rich in content and has high enzyme activity, which is very suitable for the production of gool black teas. The lack of sunlight increases the chlorophyll content in the fresh tea leaves.Chlorophyll has a great influence on the flavor of tea soup.It can not only make tea have a fruity, naturally sweet, fruity palate and a distinct floral (orchid-like) fragrance but make the tea take on a clear, brilliant red color when brewed.

Keemun (Qimen) County

Keemun (Qimen) County is located in the southern part of Anhui Province, between latitude 29°35 '-30 °08' N and longitude 117°12 '-117 °57' E. It is 74.8 kilometers long from north to south, 59.9 kilometers wide from east to west, and covers a total area of 2,257 square kilometers. Influenced by the North subtropical humid monsoon climate, the mild climate, abundant rainfall and cloudy weather make Keemun very conducive to the growth of high quality Keemun black tea.

The production of Qimen black tea can be roughly divided into three stages.

1.Picking/plucking. Fresh tea picked that day needs to be processed that day.When picking Keemun black tea, the picking standards should be strictly observed.Generally speaking, high grade tea needs to be made from one bud and one leaf or one bud and two leaves. Depending on the growth condition of the tea plant, the picking activity can continue for 6-7 rounds in spring and up to 6 times in summer.In most cases, the picking activity is not carried out in autumn and winter.

2.Primary processing: It includes Withering, Rolling, Oxidation, Drying.This process turns the buds and leaves from green to coppery red, the leaf body into a strip and promote the synthesis of flavor chemicals.Fermentation is a unique stage of black tea production, which is the key to determine the quality of Keemun black tea. The fermentation temperature is below 30 degrees. After fermentation, the leaves turn red, forming the quality characteristics of red leaves and red soup of Keemun black tea. The black tea made through this process has a special name of "Hong Mao tea",which means black tea without screening and further processing.

3.Sorting / Refining. Tea sorting process or refining process is complicated and takes a lot of time. It includes more than ten steps. This process is important and necessary to improve the quality of final tea.Because it takes a lot of time, the tea processed through this step is also called "Gongfu" tea."Gongfu" means a lot of labor and time in Chinese.This step can make the tea cleaner and more attractive, and also improve the taste and aroma of the tea.

Characteristics

Depending on tea variety, quality and the way how you brew it, Keemun black teas may present different flavor and liquor color. Overall, Keemun black tea is lightly sweet, smooth, fruity with a hint of floral note with minor variations in liquor color, sweetness, and aroma. Color of tea liquor may range from intense orange to amber and red.

Fresh Leaves Of Zhu Ye Zhong Cultivar

the Ace of the three rich-aroma black tea of the world

Known as the "Queen of Black Tea", Keemun Black tea won the Gold medal at the Panama World's Fair in 1915 for its high quality and special aroma, called "Keemun fragrance祁门香".

The "Keemun fragrance" refers to the unique fragrance of Keemun black tea, which is related to the chemical components of geraniol, benzyl alcohol and 2-phenylethanol contained in the tea leaves, which have floral, fruity, orchid-like, and honey-like fragrance. The aroma of Keemun tea has a great relationship with the unique growing  environment of Qimen, Anhui Province.

Unlike Indian Assam tea, Keemun black tea is made from Camellia sinesis var. sinensis, mostly planted in China and is popular for producing green tea. This is why Keemun black tea is more mellow and has a lower caffeine content than Assam and Ceylon black tea. Keemun tea is often added to English breakfast or Russian Caravan blends, to achieve the specific profile and to soften the flavor of Assam tea. 

In addition to the traditional Keemun Black Tea made by the traditional process, there are several Keemun Black Teas made by the new processing techniques on the market. Keemun Golden Needles Black Tea (Qi Hong Jin Zhen) belongs to the new-process Keemun black tea, the others are Keemun (Qi Men) Hong Mao Feng Black Tea, Keemun Xiang Luo Black Tea (Qi Hong Xiang Luo) and so on. In fact, Keemun Golden Needles Black Tea (Qi Hong Jin Zhen) is not very different from Keemun Xiang Luo Black Tea (Qi Hong Xiang Luo) in the production process.The main difference is hidden in the shaping step. The former is curled into a snail shape, while Keemun Golden Needles Black Tea (Qi Hong Jin Zhen) is somewhat similar to Huang Shan Mao Feng, and the the processed leaf is tight and straight. Of course, the two are also different in other aspects such as evenness and rolling degree.

Keemun Aromatic Black Snail Tea

Invented in 1996-1997, Keemun Aromatic Snail Black Tea is a top grade type of Keemun black. Its name refers to the appearance of the dry leaf that resembles the shape of a small snail shell. The traditional Keemun black tea Keemun Gongfu (kung fu) black tea has a cutting process in production in which tea is cut into 0.6-0.8 cm small particles. It is said that the tea maker who invented this tea got inspiration from the shape of the famous green tea Bi Luo Chun Green tea. Why not try to make the shape of Qimen black tea similar to Bi Luo Chun? After many attempts, a new Keemun black tea was finally born. Aromatic Snail tea is made of whole early spring young leaves and tender buds and has a distinctive coiled leaf appearance shaped into snail shapes, also featuring a distinctive and charming Keemun fragrance (祁門香).

This tea and  Keemun Golden Needles Black Tea both come from Qimen County, and although they are both newer types of Keemun black tea, their processing techniques are different, so their appearance and taste is slightly different.

Picking Kemmun Black Tea In High Mountain

The flavor of Keemun Aromatic Black Snail Tea is relatively thicker due to its second fermentation step. The coiled leaves produce a bright liquor reddish-brown cup with a full-bodied, light, woody and tangy flavour and lightly creamy, sweet honey taste with a lingering, mellow long-lasting aftertaste. If you prefer a richer taste profile than Gongfu Keemun tea and want to appreciate the beautiful visual appearance of this new-born Keemun tea with a sweeter and mellower note, consider drinking this tea.

This is a kind of mellow tea, which will be drunk alone or with sugar and/or milk. For iced tea, follow the ratio of 1g tea: 50ml water, and let it stay in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.