Keemun Tea

Keemun tea is the best Chinese black tea, honored as “the queen of black tea. It has been planted in Qimen County, Huangshan City of Anhui Province for more than 100 years. It is well-known for its strong fragrance, fresh and mellow taste, tight, even body, bright red soup and elaborate workmanship. Keemun black tea has three main types, Keemun kungfu tea, Keemun Maofeng and Keemun Xiangluo, distinguished by making process and appearance. Their benefits do not differ much.
 

Caffeine in black tea is helpful in stimulating the cerebral cortexand making your thinking sharper and your memory stronger. It can also promote the excretion of lactic acid that can make you feel tired and other waste to achieve the goal of allaying tiredness.
 

Keemun tea can help in quenching thirst and cooling the inner heat in hot summer because there are polyphenols, sugars, amino acids and pectin in it, which can stimulate the excretion of saliva and moist your mouth. At the same time, caffeine can regulate body temperature and stimulate the liver to excrete abundant body heat and waste and maintain physiological balance.
 

Caffeine and aromatic substances in China Keemun tea can improve the amount of blood in the liver, increase glomerular filtration rate, dilate renal capillaries and inhibit the re-absorption of water by renal tubules, contributing to the increase of urine level.
 

Polyphenols in Keemun is helpful in diminishing inflammation. According to the research, people who are attacked by bacterial ralstonia and food poisoning will get benefits if they drink Keemun tea regularly. In some regions of China, people also apply it on the skin to cure wound, bedsore or barbiers.
 

China Keemun goes through the process of fermentation and baking, which will promote the enzymatic oxidation of tea polyphenol and reduce the harm it may bring to people. In addition, the oxide of tea polyphenol can aid in promoting digestion, caring gastric mucosa and curing ulcers, especially, when you add brown sugar and milk in it.

Besides, China Keemun black tea can also do favors in preventing decayed teeth, resisting aging, lowering blood sugar, anti-cancer, anti-radiation and lose weight, etc.
 

Withering lays the foundation for the tight, slim and beautiful appearance of the leaves, as well as strong fragrance and mellow taste. The fresh leaves should be flattened with a thickness less than 20 cm in the place where the temperature is between 35～38℃ for approximate 3~4 hours. Stir it every 0.5~1 hour. The withering process cannot be stopped until the leaves turn dark green, and become soft and rugose with a light touching feeling of sticky.
 

The withered Keemun tea leaves will be kneaded twice and the time duration is about 30~45 minutes for each time. And then the unqualified leaves should be picked out. By this process, the juice can spread evenly inside and on the leave.
 

The fermentation room should be with high humidity and the temperature should be controlled below 30℃. The time duration is 3~5 hours in spring and 2~3 hours in summer and fall. When leaves give off a strong fragrance like mature fruit, and look bright and even, this step is done.
 

First, the leaves are dried over high fire in a dryer to get rid of 30 percent moisture of it. After, flat the leaves to cool them down. About an hour later, dry it again over low heat till the water contain is 7-9 %. The finished tea leaves have rustled sound when you hold them tightly in hands.
 

1. Select Tea Sets: White porcelain, purple sand and transparent glass tea sets are the best.

2. Put tea leaves into tea pot.

3. Pour boiled water into tea pot. A few seconds later, quickly pour the water out. This step is to wash the leaves.

4. Pour boiled water into the tea pot again. The water should be 50 times of the tea leaves. Stay for 2-3 minutes.

5. Pour the tea soup into the fair cup, shake and mix it well. Then pour it into tea cup and enjoy.

It is not easy for Keemun black tea to lose the mellow taste and the fragrance, so it can be brewed for several times.

 Further Reading:
How  to Make Chinese Tea
10 Most Famous Chinese Black Tea