Congou Keemun

Stacy included this in my recent Butiki order as a free sample. I honestly don’t know why I didn’t order it, I really like Keemun teas. It must have been an oversight, but I am glad I at least get to try it!

I used my pre-measured sample and steeped for about 4 minutes (as the water at work isn’t boiling). The liquor is a warm orange and the aroma reminds me of sweet baked goods, I almost want to say cinnamon rolls. I get sweetness, black tea and almost a hint of cinnamon. Very appetizing and a little unexpected. I’ve been craving cinnamon rolls for a while, so maybe it’s all in my head. Either way, Mmm!

First sips retain that bakery aspect, I get a sense of yeasty baked goods with some innate sweetness and still something that reminds me of cinnamon. This is all very mild and complemented by the tea base which is flavourful and with a thick mouthfeel but no bitterness or astringency. All good things.

As I get further into the cup and it cools, I get a little less sweetness and a bit more of a bread/bakery taste. It is still good just a little less interesting. I think this is one that benefits from being consumed while hot at least if you’re looking for more flavours.

This was a really nice keemun and one I might stock up on if I were to catch it on sale. I can live without it, but it’s definitely no hardship to drink up. Yay!

Edit to add: Second steep was disappointing. This makes a good first cup but don’t even bother trying a second go roung.

I received this sample from Stacy when we met last week and I finally tried it tonight! Which might come back to bite me later tonight when it comes time for bed. But you know what? It was SO worth it!

I made up this cup in my tasting set. I don’t use them enough and really should. Sometimes it is the best tool for the job. So I set the timer for three minutes and let the tea steep. While I waited I sniffed the dry leaf. It smelled a little of maple and I worried that I had left it too close to the Maple Pecan…but then I also picked up some earthy scent to the tea and relaxed a bit.

When the timer went off I was ready for my first sip! But first a sniff of the wet leaf. Now THAT smelled of mushrooms. I was getting excited. I also noted a malty smell to the leaf too. Ok we were getting somewhere. The taste? A mix of malt, earth, and of mushrooms. Yes, mushrooms…amazing! There are a lot of things going on with this tea and they all work together really well.

This tea really came alive with the dark chocolate cocoa roasted almonds I was snacking on. The chocolate from the almonds added a new and interesting dimension to the tea, bringing out a fruity flavor to the tea I hadn’t noticed with my first few sips (before eating the almonds)! Like I said there is a lot going on here.

For the whole review visit: http://thepurrfectcup.com/2012/10/11/review-congou-keemun/

Fruity, malty, a smell of damp earth and leaves. A dry note that builds as the cup cools. Quite tasty. Glad to have gotten this as a sample!

Got this as a sample with my last Butiki order.

Dry, this tea smells very floral to me. I’m also picking up some earthiness.

Once brewed, the floral smell isn’t strong. Yay! I’m getting honey notes, mushroom-y notes, and a nice earthiness. I’m also picking up some pine-like aroma that the description mentions. Cool!

Taste: So, I’m getting a lot of earthiness here, which isn’t a bad thing, but it was surprising based on the smell. Interesting. The mushroom is coming through mid sip, and it’s delicious! There is also a light sweetness, perhaps honey, but it is mostly confined to the end of the sip. The pine needle in the description is also mostly picked up at the end of the sip, and lingers as an aftertaste. Neat. I am getting a bit of a fruity note as the tea cools a little more, but I don’t know if I can quite identify it. Finally, there is very little floral taste coming through for me, but I’m more than ok with that as floral teas are not a favorite of mine. The floral notes are very subtle, and I’m finding them in the beginning of the sip, every once in awhile.

This tea is slightly astringent for me, and I don’t know if that was my bad or if the tea is usually like this. However, that said, I don’t find the astringency overpowering or unpleasant! This is a nice black tea, overall. I don’t think it’s a favorite, but it sure was interesting and I’m very happy I got to try it. It was helpful on my quest to appreciate and distinguish black teas! I’d try it again, if I had the opportunity. Thanks, Stacy!

NOTE: I found I liked this tea more once it had cooled off significantly. The astringency was also even lighter. =)
I’m also finding that the aftertaste, while including a nice pine quality, has a wine like flavor! Very interesting!

Had this a couple of days ago, courtesy of Terri. Brewed it three times western style, and in neither of them did I get familiar and lovable smoky sweetness of Keemun. The tea was malty, full bodied, sweet and with no astringency, slightly stronger than other Keemun’s that I’ve tasted, and closer to Assam than Keemun in body and flavor (minus the astringency, sweeter and slightly lighter). I don’t drink Keemun with milk and sugar normally, but the full smooth body told me to give it a try. They coupled well together. This is a very good tea, but I’m not sure that I will go out of my way to buy some, as I like the gentle smokiness of Keemun and I missed its presence here.

Very nice straight black tea. The leaves have almost no odor when dry. The brewed taste is earthy, malty and sweet. Very mellow and smooth. In some ways it reminds me of the wild mountain yunnan black tea I’ve had before, but it’s way less astringent with no trace of bitterness at all. Nice way to start my morning.

I received some of this from donkeytiara in our swap. Thank you!

Yum. I had a rough nights sleep last night and I was already starting to think about what tea I would try this morning. I read a tasting note about keemun yesterday so thought I would give one of these a go. I am glad I did. This cup did not disappoint. This is a very light and fruity keemun, maybe peaches/bananas? It is very smooth and almost a hint of spice? mixed in. I can’t quite put a finger on the flavor at the beginning of the sip. It doesn’t have as much base as some of my current favorite keemuns, but it is a great cup. Thank you for sharing donkeytiara.

I almost missed it….the part where the label of this tea says 2 teaspoons per 8 oz of water. I’ve previously only had a sample of this from Butiki, but the flavor profile was so fascinating that I ordered it.
I’m still quite stumped at the fact that this is a Keemun and it doesn’t taste or smell just like potting soil (you know, the kind with those little white beady-balls that looks like Styrofoam but aren’t?)…all the breakfast blends that I’ve tasted have had a really earthy note that was blamed on the Keemun. I reckon I have to rethink that Keemun always goes with DIRT. :)

This is such a beautiful flavor profile. The notes change while it’s in your mouth (ok, it does sound weird. But I am weird.) At first, it reminds me of outside in a shady old place…a bit loamy and pine-ish (not like air freshener)…and bit mushroom-y… and some flowers….very low-key flowers. Like where a gnome would live!! As I swallow the tea, the notes change and become a bit more malty and whole feeling. There is just a touch of astringency after it leaves my mouth, but it’s the good kind of astringency….not too drying….just enough dryness so that your mouth wants another sip. And as long as Stacy and Butiki carries this tea, that is a very good thing!