What Is Keemun Tea? The Chinese Black Tea That Started It All

A Short History

Keemun (or Qimen, in Mandarin) is a black tea from Anhui province in eastern China. It was first produced in 1875 by Yu Quianchen, a former government official who had studied tea-making techniques in Fujian province and brought them home to Qimen county.

Within a decade, Keemun had become one of China's most celebrated tea exports. It reached Europe in the late 19th century and quickly found a place in English Breakfast blends, where its refined character balanced the briskness of Indian Assam. For much of the 20th century, Keemun was considered the backbone of a proper English Breakfast tea.

Our own Dragon Breakfast uses a Keemun component alongside Yunnan for exactly this reason: Keemun brings complexity and depth without the sharp edges.

Where It Grows

Keemun comes from Qimen county in the south of Anhui province. The terrain is mountainous, misty, and cool, sitting at 300-700 metres elevation. The soil is fertile, the rainfall is steady, and cloud cover keeps direct sunlight soft, which slows the growth of the tea bushes and concentrates flavour in the leaf.

Most Keemun is still processed in small village workshops rather than large factories. The leaf is hand-sorted into grades: Hao Ya (the finest buds), Mao Feng (tips and young leaves), and Gongfu (carefully processed full leaf). Each grade has a different character, but all share the distinctive Keemun profile.

We source our Keemun Gold from gardens in this region, working with estates whose methods we understand and whose lots we taste before buying.

What It Tastes Like

Keemun is unlike any other black tea. The flavour is often described in terms more commonly associated with wine or chocolate:

• Cocoa: a smooth, dark chocolate note that comes through on the first sip
• Stone fruit: plum, sometimes dried apricot, especially in higher-grade lots
• A quiet smokiness: nothing like the heavy smoke of a Lapsang Souchong, but a gentle warmth in the background
• Orchid aroma: the top note when you lift the cup to your nose, sometimes described as a "wine-like" fragrance

Compared to a Yunnan black tea (like our Dragon Breakfast base), Keemun is less malty and more refined. Where Yunnan gives body and sweetness, Keemun gives nuance and a longer finish.

How to Brew Keemun

Keemun is a little more forgiving than some black teas, but it rewards attention:

• Leaf: 2-3 grams per 250ml cup
• Water: 90-95°C. Slightly below a full boil. This is lower than the recommendation for most black teas, and it matters. Full boiling water can flatten Keemun's subtler notes.
• Time: 3-4 minutes for the first steep
• Milk: optional. Keemun is excellent without milk, where the cocoa and fruit notes come through most clearly. It can take a small dash, but start without.
• Re-steeping: Keemun re-steeps well. A second infusion at the same temperature, extended by 30-60 seconds, often brings out a different set of notes.

Keemun in Our Range

Keemun Gold is our single-origin, unblended Keemun. This is the tea to try if you want to understand what Keemun tastes like on its own, without the influence of other teas in a blend. It is sourced from Qimen county and hand-processed in small workshops.

Dragon Breakfast is a blend of Yunnan and Keemun black teas, designed as a breakfast cup. The Yunnan provides the malt and body; the Keemun provides the depth, the cocoa note, and the long finish. It is the tea we reach for most mornings in our own workshop.

Both are loose leaf, hand-blended in Berkshire, and posted in resealable pouches to keep the leaf fresh.