Keemun's reputation rests on the leaf grade rather than the region alone — Mao Feng picks out the long, slightly twisted leaves that give this black tea its winey depth. Grown in Qimen County, Anhui Province, the name "Keemun" is actually an old English rendering of Qimen, and it's the local climate that shapes the cup: fruity and lemony up front, with honey sweetness underneath, a milky roundness, a touch of vegetal green, and smoky, coffee-like notes trailing off. It's a tea that rewards drinking black, though it takes milk, sugar, honey or lemon without falling apart if that's how you like your morning cup.
Brew it with five grams of leaf per cup, water just off the boil at 100°C, and give it a full four minutes to steep — Keemun is forgiving of a slightly longer infusion, and the extra time helps draw out the smoke and coffee side of the profile rather than just the fruit. Like other black teas, it carries a modest dose of caffeine, enough to make it a reasonable substitute for a morning coffee if that's what you're after. Black tea in general has long been drunk with an eye toward heart and cholesterol health, though that's a tradition worth taking as just that rather than a guarantee tied to this particular tea.
