Keemun Black is one of our favorite black teas to make Kombucha with.
Teapedia describes it as following:
"Keemun is a black Chinese tea with a winy and fruity taste, designated as a China Famous Tea."
"Keemun is produced in the Qimen County of Huangshan City, in Anhui (Anhwei) province.
("Keemun" has been the English spelling for "Qimen" 祁門紅茶 since the colonial era.)
Keemun has a relatively short history. It was first produced in 1875 by a failed civil servant, Yu Quianchen, after he traveled to Fujian province to learn the secrets of black tea production. Prior to that, only green tea was made in Anhui. The result exceeded his expectations, and the excellent Keemun tea quickly gained popularity in England, and became the most prominent ingredient of the English Breakfast tea blend.
"The aroma of Keemun is fruity, with hints of pine, dried plum and floweriness (but not at all as floral as Darjeeling tea) which creates the very distinctive and balanced taste. It also displays a hint of orchid fragrance and the so-called "China tea sweetness." The tea can have a more bitter taste and the smokiness can be more defined depending on the variety and how it was processed."
For our Kombucha, we use the Mao Feng (Keemun MF) variety:
"Keemun Mao Feng (祁門毛峰) - A variety, where Mao Feng means Fur Peak, which is made of only slightly twisted leaf buds and is sometimes noted for a smoother and different flavor. Many people prefer to brew a smaller quantity of this tea for a longer time than usual, up to 7 minutes, to bring out more interesting tones in the tea."
This tea make a very complex Kombucha with notes of honey, dried fruit and flowers. It is a perfect substitute for a fruity red wine.
Here's Keemun again, set up for our Kombucha production.
And during the steeping process.
Since it's a black tea, it ferments vigorously every time. Our Scobies love it too.
And with the culture out.
Once it is bottled, the F2 takes only one day.
Then a customary couple of days in the fridge, and it's time for retail.
It's definitely one of the favorites among our steady customers, and we always like to see it back again on our special list.
Ingredients: Filtered and Revitalized Water, Live Kombucha Cultures, Unrefined Brown Sugar
and Keemun Mao Feng