Tea of the Month January-Keemun

Keeping warm is foremost on my mind these days. Although it won't keep my feet warm, I've decided to try and maintain a good body heat by drinking lots of tea. After all, this seems like the place where I can get as much tea as possible. So I've also decided to try writing a monthly post about tea. It allows me to buy small amounts, go back to the tea shop frequently and possibly make friends, as well as try all kinds of tea during my stay here, and maybe get to know a bit more about one of the most consumed beverages in the world. The summer posts might be a challenge, but I guess that I might have try some iced versions, and I'll worry about that, when I get there.

On Saturday last, in the middle our first serious snow day here in Shanghai, I ventured out to a tea shop that I found before my departure for Vancouver last fall. This time, with no detours in the opposite direction for twenty minutes ( hey! I found a really cool park that way), I went directly to the store and sat down with a couple of the sales girls, in front of the portable heater. This tea shop, probably like many others in the city, sells its tea in loose leaf form. It also carries bricks of tea (perhaps more on this at a later date since I am fascinated by this concept) and tea pots and cups.

We had a brief discussion about my tea preferences and then they set about the elaborate ritual of making the tea. The water is heated ( not boiled), and all of the cups and pots are heated with warm water. The tea is carefully measured, the water is poured over and then dumped out, and a second cup of water is poured over the leaves. The tea is then presented to the customer in a small dainty cup on a wooden tray. There are peanuts and pumpkin seeds in a small dish for consumption. Then there is the inevitable discussion on the flavor and scent of the tea. This is made a bit more challenging by my lack of Mandarin and their valiant attempts at English. Somehow we manage to communicate (note to self: bring dictionary next time) and tea is purchased.

Let me tell you about this month's tea. I really like fragrant teas and I am a huge fan of the bergamot scented Earl Grey tea. I asked for a fragrant tea, and the young sales girls obliged. They opened a new bag of Keemun tea. I could smell it long before the tea was ready to drink. It was as tasty as it smelled, and once they told me that it can also be had with milk, I was sold. I purchased 50 grams of it, along with another tea (for next month), tucked my purchases in a lovely red bag, and left the store.

I did a bit of research on Keemun and its origins. It seems as though it is a relatively new tea type. While made from the same leaves as all other tea, it is the processing that defines it. Some sites say that it was "discovered" in 1875, while others pinpoint its origins to the middle of the 19th century (really only a difference of about 25 years- so let's call it the same). A tea master in the region of Anhui had started the regular process of fermenting black tea when he was rudely interrupted by a high ranking official of the imperial army. This officer required accomodations, and the only suitable place was the tea factory. The tea factory workers were thrown out and the processing of the batch was halted. The next morning, the master tried the tea (probably unwilling to lose an entire batch of tea to his unexpected guest) and declared it delicious. Thus the birth of Keemun.

Keemun is used in the blending of other teas. It is said to have a delicate aroma, a velvet smooth taste wih scented flavor. Some say that the flavor has hints of smoky pine, orchid and crushed apple. Others claim that it has the aroma of fruit and roses. It is a tea that is low in tannins, thus not bitter to the taste.

I find that the tea smells like flowers, and tastes a bit of vanilla. With or without the milk, it is a rich taste. On this cold day, it satisfies me on three levels: while it is between my hands, it is warm (and warming), it smells like a bouquet of flowers, and it tastes delicious.