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drank Qimen by Winterbloom Tea
1604 tasting notes

It took some experimenting to get this tea where I wanted. I settled on 2tsp (sometimes heaping), 10oz, 200F. First steep rather short around 2-3 minutes, second for as long as it sat while I readied myself for the day.

Great workhorse of a tea with solid flavor, a good medium-oily mouthfeel and enough caffeine to keep me wired while dealing with electrified people. This keemun isn’t fancy but it does have the hallmarks. It’s hefty, warm and brisk but never astringent or bitter. Deeply earthy but not dirty, much like a very dark tobacco. Lots of chocolate and tons of hardwood — oaky? Oaky. Okay. Leather. Malt. Almost creamy. Blueberry-strawberry-blackberry red wine undertone lifts it up and rounds it out like a pushup bra? Wtf derk. Hints of pine wood and a fading afterthought of smoke provide a little more depth. More mineral sweet in the second infusion. The pine, smoke and mineral sweetness actually dominate when I use less leaf.

Curious, I looked up this company called Winterbloom, found it’s a tea spot in North Carolina less than a few hours’ drive from so many memories. Thanks for the big ole bag and the big ole feels, ashmanra.

Flavors: Blackberry, Blueberry, Chocolate, Cream, Earth, Leather, Malt, Mineral, Oak, Pine, Red Wine, Smoke, Strawberry, Tobacco

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 tsp 10 OZ / 295 ML
8 comments
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ashmanra
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I have been trying to send a message but Steepster will not let me! Looking forward to the box! You didn’t have to, but since you did I will be lying in wait for the post!

You have memories here in NC? Tell me more! Winterbloom is a short drive from my house, yet I go to Raleigh and Chapel Hill tea shops more often! Go figure.

derk
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One of my old love’s family lives on Lake Tillery in the Uwharrie. A different way of life and so many memories but too much drinking for me :P I never could let go the way the river rats and ’shiners do. But I did learn to waterski!

I will email you this time around :)

tea-sipper
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….dealing with electrified people????

derk
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I work with electricians. A lot of them seem to embrace uppers and/or have been electrocuted.

Leafhopper
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Oof! You’d need a lot of caffeine to deal with people like that. :)

derk
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Haha, they’re all a hoot. I love the variety.

ashmanra
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I have been to Lake Tillery once for a day in a little motor boat, about forty years ago! It was lovely!

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ashmanra
Delete

I have been trying to send a message but Steepster will not let me! Looking forward to the box! You didn’t have to, but since you did I will be lying in wait for the post!

You have memories here in NC? Tell me more! Winterbloom is a short drive from my house, yet I go to Raleigh and Chapel Hill tea shops more often! Go figure.

derk
Delete

One of my old love’s family lives on Lake Tillery in the Uwharrie. A different way of life and so many memories but too much drinking for me :P I never could let go the way the river rats and ’shiners do. But I did learn to waterski!

I will email you this time around :)

tea-sipper
Delete

….dealing with electrified people????

derk
Delete

I work with electricians. A lot of them seem to embrace uppers and/or have been electrocuted.

Leafhopper
Delete

Oof! You’d need a lot of caffeine to deal with people like that. :)

derk
Delete

Haha, they’re all a hoot. I love the variety.

ashmanra
Delete

I have been to Lake Tillery once for a day in a little motor boat, about forty years ago! It was lovely!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

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This place, like the rest of the internet, is dead and overrun with bots. Yet I persist.

Eventual tea farmer. If you are a tea grower, want to grow your own plants or are simply curious, please follow me so we can chat.

I most enjoy loose-leaf, unflavored teas and tisanes. Teabags have their place. Some of my favorite teas have a profound effect on mind and body rather than having a specific flavor profile.

Favorite teas generally come from China (all provinces), Taiwan, India (Nilgiri and Manipur). Frequently enjoyed though less sipped are teas from Georgia, Japan, and Nepal. While I’m not actively on the hunt, a goal of mine is to try tea from every country that makes it available to the North American market. This is to gain a vague understanding of how Camellia sinensis performs in different climates. I realize that borders are arbitrary and some countries are huge with many climates and tea-growing regions.

I’m convinced European countries make the best herbal teas.

Personal Rating Scale:

100-90: A tea I can lose myself into. Something about it makes me slow down and appreciate not only the tea but all of life or a moment in time. If it’s a bagged or herbal tea, it’s of standout quality in comparison to similar items.

89-80: Fits my profile well enough to buy again.

79-70: Not a preferred tea. I might buy more or try a different harvest. Would gladly have a cup if offered.

69-60: Not necessarily a bad tea but one that I won’t buy again. Would have a cup if offered.

59-1: Lacking several elements, strangely clunky, possesses off flavor/aroma/texture or something about it makes me not want to finish.

Unrated: Haven’t made up my mind or some other reason. If it’s puerh, I likely think it needs more age.

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Sonoma County, California, USA

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