Imperial Keemun Hao Ya Gift Tea

The ancient tradition of pay tribute to the Imperial Court, started centuries ago. China’s long tradition of gift tea is closely related to that. Like Tribute Tea, Li Cha that literally means gift tea, must be of such extraordinary quality that it’s quite priceless since nothing like it is available anywhere for sale. This fine keemun qualifies as gift tea in every respect with the added advantage that while it lasts you can buy some!

Most keemun is no longer produced in Anhui’s Qimen county where this is from. It is an early spring tea with a tiny leaf such as is used for hao ya or furry tip. The leave have been fired carefully with selected charcoal. The result is that is left free of the excessive smokiness common to lower grades of keemun. Its powerful aroma, nectar-like fruitiness, weighty mouth feel, and highly refined complexity embody the essence of this classic tea at its greatest. If you love black tea you’ll never regret getting yourself this keemun!

GROWING REGION

Anhui, China:

BREWING SUGGESTIONS

Keemun blacks of fine quality are very versatile and can be enjoyed in many ways. We suggest experimenting by varying the quantity of leaves, steeping time, and water temperature to find your own target preferences. Since the original Earl Grey tea was made from a Keemun black tea, the standard English tea service will work wonderfully with this tea, either with or without milk and sugar. The Chinese methods of Gaiwan and gongfu tea service will also produce excellent results.