Notes on harvest, tea master craft, terroir, and gongfu brewing from our high-mountain tea gardens.
Keemun aroma is the floral–fruity fragrance of Qimen Hong Cha from Anhui — honey, dried rose, soft orchid. Not flavored syrup, not smoke, not bergamot.
Keemun black tea is not meant to be made intensely dark by using boiling water and steeping it for too long. Start with water at 90–95°C and around 3 grams of tea, then let its floral notes, fruit-like sweetness, and mellow finish unfold gradually. Why is Keemun only produced in Qimen? True Keemun (Qimen Hong
Pair Huangshan Maofeng at dawn with Keemun after lunch—a simple Anhui two-tea ritual for morning clarity and afternoon calm, without another brew manual.
Cold brew Keemun overnight for smooth amber iced tea—honey notes, low astringency, and an easy fridge recipe from Huangshan Qimen black tea.
Short answer: choose Keemun for a honeyed, floral black tea, Huangshan Maofeng or Taiping Houkui for a floral green, and Huangshan Chaoqing for an everyday green. You can start in a mug. A gaiwan or small pot helps with short steeps and clearer aroma, but it is not required before you buy Keemun or Maofeng.
Brew Huangshan Maofeng at 75–85°C, 3 g, two to three minutes. Gaiwan or glass — pale liquor, not a boiling tea bag.
Three photos of Huangshan Maofeng — the garden shoot, the downy twist in a bowl, and the pale glass. How to inspect the leaf without the slogan overlay.
Taiping Houkui’s long flat leaf starts in a wok. Watch the handmade kill-green toss, then see what happens before and after — and how not to undo it at the kettle.
Houkui turns bitter when the water boils. Use 80–85°C, about 3 g, and a tall glass so the long blades stand — then stop at three minutes.
Taiping Houkui is Huangshan’s long, flat green tea — orchid on the dry leaf, a pale sweet cup, not a rolled pellet. See how to recognize the leaf and how it differs from Maofeng.
