Keemun Black Tea

Traditional 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. 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. 2 Place the 6 g of Keemun leaves into the warmed brewing vessel.
3. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.