I think I could like this tea quite a bit, but I need to spend more time with it.
The dry leaf smells like something between buttermilk and yeast to me, and there’s a lot of that flavor in the tea as well. At times I get a malty flavor and occasionally it sweetens into more of a caramel, but it’s not always present.
The description says that it contains pine notes, which to me would read as woody, sharp, and edging on bitter. I think I can taste it [how much of that is purely psychological I couldn’t tell you], but thankfully it’s muted. Too much of that would ruin this for me, easily.
If it weren’t for the occasional sweet flavors I get in this I don’t think that I would enjoy it overall. However, the melding notes and shifting flavors make it intriguing. This isn’t something that I’m going to drink all the time, but I like it and it warrants some extended experimentation.
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Your review was timely. This was on my “try sometime soon” list.
Not sure why Keemuns are considered the best of the Chinese blacks (and perhaps second best of all blacks, just behind a good Darjeeling). Truth be told, I think a good Yunnan is arguably a better tea than both, malty like an Assam, but with a caramel-like finish and a smooth texture that’s in a league of its own.
Kinda had you pegged as a green-tea kinda drinker based on your previous reviews. Glad to see you hangin’ in the oxidized leaf world. I’ve found the Keemuns to be a tad woodier/smokier than Yunnans. Not sure if that’s because of the processing or the Chinese varietals that are used to make Keemun (as opposed to the Assamicas that are used for Yunnan). I’m sure someone out there has a handle on that. But, alas, it ain’t me.
This is the Keemun I keep at work for those desperately-need-tea moments. It’s good but not great (for me at least). I’ve only had Jackee Muntz once so I can’t really say anything on that one yet, but Adagio’s Keemun Rhapsody is my fav Keemun. It is a lot smoother than this one – it misses that almost-bitter note that this one tends towards. But now that I’m out of the Adagio Keemun, at least I should be able to give Jackee a fair shake!
Your review was timely. This was on my “try sometime soon” list.
Not sure why Keemuns are considered the best of the Chinese blacks (and perhaps second best of all blacks, just behind a good Darjeeling). Truth be told, I think a good Yunnan is arguably a better tea than both, malty like an Assam, but with a caramel-like finish and a smooth texture that’s in a league of its own.
Kinda had you pegged as a green-tea kinda drinker based on your previous reviews. Glad to see you hangin’ in the oxidized leaf world. I’ve found the Keemuns to be a tad woodier/smokier than Yunnans. Not sure if that’s because of the processing or the Chinese varietals that are used to make Keemun (as opposed to the Assamicas that are used for Yunnan). I’m sure someone out there has a handle on that. But, alas, it ain’t me.
This is the Keemun I keep at work for those desperately-need-tea moments. It’s good but not great (for me at least). I’ve only had Jackee Muntz once so I can’t really say anything on that one yet, but Adagio’s Keemun Rhapsody is my fav Keemun. It is a lot smoother than this one – it misses that almost-bitter note that this one tends towards. But now that I’m out of the Adagio Keemun, at least I should be able to give Jackee a fair shake!