TGFOP Tea Reviews (c) Silverneedles est.2005

Methodical: 1tbag + 8oz @ 200F x 3-4min

Taste: maybe low keemun, smoky, some woodyness, and more astringency than flavor. Astringency doesnt quit, keeps going and going. Dryness, dusty on tongue/throat. I like to say that it reminds me when i was in middleschool, and used to chew on the No.2 pencil, which had a sortof crusty glaze on the wood - thats how this tea tastes to me - like chewing a No.2 pencil.
Ofcourse, astringency is the main “flavor” here, these, above, are detected while trying to ignore the astringency.

Again? No.

The black Yunnan tea from Royal King Brand (while not keemun, tho i dont know for sure it is yunnan and not some sort of blend)- has better flavor, so if RKB made keemun i’d like to try that.

found at whole foods nyc columbus circle

whole foods has a coffee & tea place inside, starbucks like, pay there not at the exit checkout.
it houses a variety of Rishi teas (of course fair trade antifloxidants organic usda angus beef natural ecgc et c . e tc.)
for sale as loose leaf tea in containers, or to buy in a cup of boiled water.
large cup of tea is 1.95$, but they just put it in more water.

between concrete, grass, tea… and … can you spot the owl?

this keemun wasnt bad, good taste, strong keemun flavor. not bad. good purchase 1 of 3 (1bad green t, 1bad black t).

buy again: yup. if you’re at the whole foods AVOID the bottled teas and get some of these teas instead. much better choice.

review sample from JingTea.com (UK).

this is a nice keemun, an interresting great keemun. … its got a little suprise.

Leaf:

LEFT: Keemun Mao Feng: leaf is longer, more delicate, with a curly appearance.

RIGHT: Keemun Hao Ya (regular keemun).

.

Method: 3min @ ~90C/198F (yes. who brews black tea @ less than boiling…. yes… who… me that’s who.)

Taste: Infusion 1, 2 : smells like keemun, tastes like keemun, woody-chocolaty-keemuny yup, …but there is a little extra flavor somewhere there… @infusion 4 -> here it is: the flavor turns to a mao fengish green tea…(?) Might be that the tea is not enough oxidized/fermented to a ‘perfect’ black tea status. not sure.

so, taste overall: 4.7/7.

Overall: its an ok tea, not to my liking though.

When drinking black tea with moderate or more astringency the tannins that remain in the mouth actually kinda inhibit my sense of hunger (unless my stomach is already growling).

well, this is a ‘red’ tea, but it was with the blacks, and online found Qi Men as a region in China where they produce Keemun, so i temporarily put it here with the keemuns. >> apparently ‘keemun’ is the western translation of Qimen.

looseleaf $2.81/oz ($45/lb)

leaf is very thin, its very cute.

taste: strong full taste, stronger than the other keemun i had, similar taste, i think the woody/fermented taste is a bit more pronounced here, and its got a stronger bitter side than keemun, but the aftertaste is good, minty! .overall like it well.

keep? YES.

looseleaf $1/oz (16$/lb) (+tax)

got some keemun to compare with the keemun from Chado.

3min exactly, boiled water stood for 1 min, brewed in ‘french press’.

i have to admit, keemun is better hot.

comparison:
leaf: length same, thickness: the chado leaf is somewhat thicker than the wing hop fun keemun.
smell: same.
taste: same. good ol’ kee mun, a bit of a woody taste, nice smell, good caffeine content :D. did not sense any significant difference between them. i’ll need to have a big stash of this. update: i love keemun.

keepit? YES.

choice? WHF keemun over chado because of price.

looseleaf ~$2.50/oz

description “ Very attractive leaves. Orchid like aroma, sweet and flowery. Excellent for digestion. Weak in theophylline. Good for night time.“.

hmmm. the store recommended it as a “strong black tea”…hmmm

almost boiling water, 3-4min.

nice, smooth, aromatic, a bit of fermentation taste (but not as strong as a puerh).
good. some woody taste. keep? NO. take wing hop fung’s keemun (priced lower).