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Keemun Black Tea
Also known as Qimen hongcha, Qimen black tea, Keemun congou
Keemun is China's celebrated fragrant black tea, grown in Qimen County, Anhui, with a sweet, winey, orchid-tinged character that anchors classic blends.
About Keemun Black Tea
Keemun is one of China's most celebrated black teas, grown in Qimen County in the mountains of Anhui province and known in China as Qimen hongcha. The dry leaf is fine, dark and wiry, and the liquor is a clear coppery amber with a sweet, fragrant scent of orchids and wildflowers balanced by deeper notes of pine, cocoa and a gentle, winey muskiness often compared to muscat grapes.
Keemun is fully oxidised — a genuinely "black" tea by the Western sense — and was developed in the 1870s, when Chinese producers in Anhui began making black teas in response to the growing demand once met by India and Ceylon. It quickly became the best-known Chinese black tea abroad, and its characteristically rounded, floral sweetness was prized in Britain, where it has long been a key component of English Breakfast blends.
True Qimen tea is best drunk plain, brewed in a gaiwan or a small porcelain pot with water just off the boil, steeping for only two to four minutes at a time so the fragrance stays bright. Sip it without milk or sugar to appreciate the subtle smokiness and orchard sweetness that define the district.
🏛️ History & Culture
Keemun black tea originates from Qimen County in Anhui Province, China, where it was first produced in the late 19th century. Its creation marked a shift in the region, which previously focused on green teas, and it quickly became one of China's most celebrated black teas.
Known for its distinctive floral and slightly smoky aroma, Keemun is a key component in many English Breakfast blends and is prized both domestically and internationally. In Chinese tea culture, it is a staple of daily life and formal gatherings alike, valued for its complexity and smooth, mellow finish.
🍳 How to make Keemun Black Tea
AI-assisted, not kitchen-testedTraditional Gongfu Brew of Keemun Black Tea
Keemun (Qimen) black tea is a fully oxidized Chinese tea from Anhui province, prized for its notes of cocoa, dried fruit, and a gentle smoky-sweet finish. This recipe uses the traditional gongfu method, which uses a high leaf-to-water ratio and short, repeated steepings to bring out the tea's layered flavor.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 15 min
- Serves
- 2 to 4 small cups (about 200-300 ml brewed tea)
- Difficulty
- Easy
Recipe ingredients
- 6 g (0.21 oz (about 2 tbsp)) Keemun black tea leaves, whole-leaf grade if possible; broken-leaf works but steeps faster
- 300 ml (1¼ cups (10 fl oz)) freshly drawn water, filtered if your tap water is heavily chlorinated, as chlorine dulls black tea
Steps
- 1 Rinse all teaware (gaiwan or small clay teapot, fairness pitcher, and tasting cups) with very hot water to warm them; pour out the rinse water.
- 2 Place the 6 g of Keemun leaves into the warmed brewing vessel.
- 3 Quick rinse (optional but traditional): pour just enough near-boiling water over the leaves to cover them, swirl for 2-3 seconds, and discard the liquid. This wakes the leaves without bitterness.
- 4 First infusion: pour 100 ml of water at 95°C / 203°F over the leaves, just off a full boil. Steep 10 seconds, then decant fully into the fairness pitcher and serve in small cups.
- 5 Second infusion: again 100 ml at 95°C / 203°F, steep 15-20 seconds. Decant fully — leaves left sitting in water will turn sour by the next round.
- 6 Third to sixth infusions: increase steep time by 10-15 seconds each round (about 25, 35, 45, 60 seconds), keeping the water temperature at 95°C / 203°F. A good Keemun will give 6-8 clean infusions before flavor drops off.
- 7 If you do not have gongfu gear, use a Western style: 3 g (about 1 tsp) per 240 ml (8 fl oz) cup, 95°C / 203°F water, steep 2-3 minutes. Avoid steeping longer than 4 minutes, which extracts unwanted astringency.
- 8 Safety notes: brew only with water that has reached a full boil at some point in the process — pouring 70°C / 158°F water over leaves does NOT reliably kill pathogens and is not a sterilization step. Discard wet leaves at the end of the session; do not save them for re-brewing the next day, as bacterial growth in the damp leaf is a documented cause of tea-related foodborne illness. Do not drink on an empty stomach if you are sensitive to caffeine or tannins.
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