Qimen black tea nine types of characteristics and classification of detailed explanation Qimen black tea which varieties taste the best

More information about Keemun Black Tea

Qimen tea gets its name from Qimen area of Anhui province. Qimen tea is the producing area of Qimen tea. The English word "Keemun" is the colonial spelling of the region and is now spelled as "Qimen".

The traceability of this black tea is quite new and it has been produced since 1875. An unsuccessful civil servant named Yu Ganchen in Qimen district decided to go to Fujian Province, one of China's most famous tea producing areas, to study the production of black tea.

He began to produce black tea in his hometown with what he had learned. Before that, only green tea was produced in his hometown. His new tea was very popular in China and soon rose to fame in Britain. Even today, it is still a key ingredient in many English breakfast teas.

A cup of carefully prepared Keemun Black Tea has a bright red color and elegant aroma with a hint of smoke and flowers. It tastes mellow and smooth, although the exact taste depends on the type of door opening.

Different types of Keemun Black Tea

The differences of different harvest time and processing technology lead to the difference of Qimen varieties. They are:

Qimen Maofeng, made of small leaves and buds, is picked early in the year; the lightest, sweetest variety is also the most precious and expensive variety.

Qimen buds-also made from small leaves and buds, but harvested later; stronger and stronger flavor; divided into two grades, An is higher and B is lower; cheaper than Maofeng, but it is still a very high quality and highly appreciated tea

Qimen kungfu, also known as Kungfu Tea, rolls up the whole leaf tightly; specially made for the Chinese Kungfu Tea ceremony

Qimen new buds-made from buds picked early each year; the least bitter of all varieties.

Qimen, Hubei-although the name is Qimen, this kind of tea actually comes from Hubei Province, so it is not the real Qimen.

Production process

The process of making Qimen tea is quite complicated, which may be one of the reasons why Qimen tea is so precious.

Leaves are harvested only in spring and summer, and only buds with two or three leaves at the top are used. Even after picking, the leaves are sorted by hand, and only the highest quality leaves are selected for further processing.

The leaves then undergo a very slow withering process, which dries up the leaves and is partly responsible for the complex taste of the final product.

When they reach a perfect degree of dryness, the leaves are rolled into the characteristic shape of Qimen leaves. The rolling process gives it a more unique flavor.

Next, the leaves are oxidized. The oxidation process is also very slow, allowing the flavor to really form. As a kind of black tea, tea is allowed to oxidize completely.

Finally, the fully oxidized leaves are heated to remove residual moisture and then packaged and sold.