Where is Keemun black tea produced? How to choose Keemun black tea

Keemun black tea is a famous tea in my country. The tea was created during the reign of Emperor Guangxu, but the earliest historical records can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty when Lu Yu wrote The Classic of Tea. Keemun black tea is the best of all black teas and enjoys a high reputation, known as the "Queen of Black Tea". High-quality Keemun black tea has a mellow taste and bright leaves. Here is how to choose Keemun black tea. I hope you will master the selection method after understanding it!

Contents of this article

1. Where is Keemun black tea produced?

2. How to choose Keemun black tea

3. Keemun black tea has several aroma components

Where is Keemun black tea produced?

Keemun black tea is a Chinese historical tea made from the buds, leaves and tender stems of the tea tree, which is native to Qimen County, Anhui Province. The tea was created during the reign of Emperor Guangxu, but the earliest historical record can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty when Lu Yu wrote The Classic of Tea. Keemun black tea is the best of all black teas and enjoys a high reputation, known as the "Queen of Black Tea".

How to choose Keemun black tea

1. Look at the appearance

First of all, when buying Keemun black tea, you can judge its quality by its appearance, that is, observe the appearance of the dry tea. The high-quality Keemun black tea has tight, fine and uniform strips, while the inferior quality has coarse, loose and poorly uniform strips.

2. Look at the color

Secondly, when buying Keemun black tea, you can judge its quality by its color, that is, observe the color and luster of the dry tea. The high-quality Keemun black tea has a dark and shiny color, while the inferior quality has inconsistent color and some are dull and dark.

3. Smell the aroma

Thirdly, when buying Keemun black tea, you can judge its quality by smelling its aroma, that is, smelling the tea aroma of the dry tea. The high-quality Keemun black tea has a rich aroma; the inferior quality one has an impure aroma with a grassy smell; and the inferior one has a low and dull aroma.

4. Look at the soup color

Secondly, when buying Keemun black tea, you can judge its quality by its soup color, that is, observe the color of the tea soup after brewing. The soup color of high-quality Keemun black tea is bright red, forming a golden circle on the edge of the tea soup in the teacup; the soup color of inferior quality tea is not bright; and the soup color of inferior quality tea is dark and turbid.

5. Taste

In addition, when buying Keemun black tea, you can judge its quality by tasting the taste, that is, tasting the taste of the tea soup. The high-quality Keemun black tea has a mellow taste; the inferior quality one has a bitter taste; and the inferior one has a coarse taste.

6. Look at the bottom of the leaves

Finally, when buying Keemun black tea, you can judge its quality by looking at the tea leaves, that is, observing the tea residue after brewing. The tea leaves of high-quality Keemun black tea are bright, the tea leaves of inferior quality are blue, and the tea leaves of inferior quality are dark and have many black stripes.

Keemun black tea has several aroma components

According to research, there are 352 kinds of aromas found in tea, 59 of which are found in fresh leaves, 293 in black tea, and 132 in green tea. The following are the 352 kinds of aromas that have the greatest impact on tea:

Chlorophyll: accounts for 60% of the aroma of fresh leaves and has a strong grassy flavor.

Benzyl alcohol: A faint apple aroma, accounting for 1.2% of the aroma of fresh leaves. Benzyl alcohol has the highest content in black tea, accounting for 2.88%, and in green tea it accounts for 1.5%. Benzyl alcohol is the main aroma component of black tea.

Phenylethanol: It has a special rose scent, accounting for 0.6% of the aroma of fresh leaves and is also the main aroma component of black tea.

Linalool: Also known as linalool, it accounts for 2% of the aroma of fresh leaves, has the scent of lily and magnolia, and is the main source of tea aroma.

Geraniol: It has a special rose scent and is a necessity for high-grade black tea. For example, the content in Qimen black tea is as high as 34.6%, which is 1-2 times higher than that of Indian and Sri Lankan black tea.

Benzyl alcohol: It has the aroma of almonds, accounting for 2.3% in green tea essential oil and 2.5% in black tea. Benzyl alcohol is the main aroma component of black and green tea. In addition, there are jasmone, which has a special jasmine aroma, benzyl phthalate, which has a honey aroma, geranial, which has a lemon aroma, phenyl acetate, which has a fruity aroma, and cinnamaldehyde, which has a cinnamon aroma.