Merkaba Teas, Keemun, Black Tea

Origin: China.

Qimen is actually the correct transliteration for what is nearly always referred to as Keemun. A traditional English Breakfast, Keemun is
produced in the Qimen precinct of southern Anhui province in central China.

Keemun is one of the most popular congou (black) teas. Because of its deep winey, almost orchid-like flavor and splendid dark red color, it
is often referred to as the "Burgundy of teas". The aroma of Keemun is fruity, with hints of pine and floweriness which creates the very
distinctive and balanced taste. It contains less caffeine than Assam teas. This leaf with its distinctive fragrance has long been the favorite tea
of the Queen of England.

Keemun has a relatively short history yet has two stories. One is that 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 second version is that in the middle of the last century, a mistake occurred in China in the manufacture of a specific tea. That tea was
Keemun. Until that mistake, this tea had always been processed as a green tea.

An Imperial Army was passing through a specific part of the province of Anhui. It was the area in which Keemun was picked and processed.
A high ranking officer needed quarters for his officers to over-night in and the only available space large enough was a tea factory. The
factory was in the process of manufacturing Keemun (Quemon-Mandarin Dialect). The Imperial General Officer threw the tea factory workers
out, even though they were in the middle of processing a batch of tea, and took over the factory.

The officers stayed only one night and left the next morning. After they had left, the factory workers hurried back to inspect the tea. Alas, it
had been naturally processed into a black tea because it had not been fired to prevent the process. The tea was cupped by the Tea Factory
Master and proclaimed to excellent.

Puey Long is a process of tea manufacture, which imparts "spirit" to the tea. It means “Fierce Fire“. Keemun is a tightly twisted China black
tea. If one looks at the leaf of an expensive Keemun one can see the tight twisted configuration. To impart this twist requires that the
following take place at the Keemun factory. The tea after withering and slight rolling is poured into a large bamboo tray where it is hand
tossed three to four hundred times. This is called Pouching or Chinging the tea. This operation alone is very time consuming but it results in
the oxidation of the leaves and turns their edges red. It is not rolled by machine. The slightly fermented leaf is then carried to the Quo, a
shallow iron pan that is set on top of the brick stove. The leaf is roasted in that pan and it is afterwards poured into trays to be hand rolled.
The Tea Master manipulates the leaves in twisted shapes by rolling his hands against the sides of the tray. Thoroughly rolled leaf requires
that he work his way around the tray the same number of times that the tray has been tossed, in other words three to four hundred times.
The leaves are then carried back to the Quo, they are again roasted, again they are tossed, and again they are rolled. This process of rolling
and roasting is repeated three times.

Keemun, from that point on was now processed as a black tea, although some rare and expensive Keemun green tea is still manufactured.
Keemun is typically enjoyed without milk or sugar; however it goes well with milk as well.