Keemun takes its name from an archaic English spelling of Qimen, the county in Anhui province where this tea has been made since 1875 — one of the more recent arrivals among China's classic black teas, and now one of the most widely drunk. This organic lot follows bio-cultivation methods rather than synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, and it carries the paperwork to prove it: certified organic by the regulatory body in its country of origin, then checked and certified again on entry to the EU, where containers are sampled and any that fail inspection get resealed and sent back.
In the cup it runs coppery and dark, with earthy overtones and a woody undertone underneath. Tasting notes on this batch span lemon, honey, milk and coffee alongside that earthiness and wood, with a thick body and a faint fish note that shows up in some Keemuns and not others. Tea & Coffee packs it fresh to order rather than pulling from stock that's been sitting around, which helps keep that range of flavour intact.
A cup carries roughly 45 milligrams of caffeine, moderate territory for a black tea, enough to serve as a genuine morning cup without the jolt of coffee. Black tea generally has long been drunk for its antioxidant content, worth mentioning as tradition rather than as a medical claim.
To brew it, use freshly boiled water and steep for three to five minutes. Keemun takes milk, sugar, honey or lemon without losing its character, though drinking it black shows off the earthy-woody profile most directly.