Qimen Hong Cha (Keemun) (祁門紅茶)
archetype: Orchid in an oak barrel
An orchid forgotten in a wine cask: a wine depth, violet, dark dried fruit, an oaken sweetness.
History
Qi Men Hong Cha (in the West known as Keemun) is one of the 'three great red teas of the world' (with Ceylon's Uda Pussellawa and Indian Darjeeling). It was created in 1875 by the official Hu Yuanlong, who brought the technology from Fujian to Qimen county. The leaf of the local Keimu cultivar gives a unique combination — a wine depth above and a honey base below. It was the favourite blend of English tea houses at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Terroir
The standard is the leaf of Mount Lichishan. The best Keemun is the 'Mao Feng' grade: the first picking of the fine leaf.
Leaf
wine rose, black raisin, violet, chocolate, dried oak long, wine-like, leaving an orchid in a wine cask in the throat
Properties
rich in theaflavins, aromatic aldehydes and natural sugars; mild stimulation, considered one of the most 'refined' red teas noble, warm, in the upper chest; felt as a 'wine window' medium (40–55 mg)
Brewing ritual
a porcelain 150 ml gaiwan; 95 °C; 5 g / 150 ml. 10s — the first note: wine rose, violet; 12s — the peak: black raisin, chocolate, oak; 16s — a long wine depth; 25s — a late trail — dark dried fruit; 40s — the finale — a warm echo of the cask.
When to drink
day and evening. autumn and winter. for writing, for a fine conversation, when one wants an orchid in wine