2023 Keemun Fragrance Snail – Qimen Hong – Handmade Huang Mountain Anhui Black Tea

• dry tea strips are slender, tight and curly, with golden hair, lustrous pitch-balck color with slight grayish
• brilliant red tea soup, clear and bright
• high and sharp, long lasting honey or apple fragrances “Keemun fragrance”
• fresh and mellow, sweet tastes
• wet tea is fresh and bright red, tender and even

Qimen black tea is called Qihong for short. Its raw materials are made of local middle and middle aged tea tree “Zhu Ye” (also known as Qimen species). The national tea varieties in Huang Mountian area are cultivated in all tea areas in China, was first introduced to India and other countries by the British in 1848, and then introduced to foreign countries many times. Now it is planted in Georgia, Russia, India, Japan, Vietnam, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and East African countries. Qimen black tea is a famous tea in Chinese history and a famous black tea boutique. It was created by Anhui tea farmers in Guangxu Qing Dynasty period, but the earliest historical records can be traced back to the tea classics of Lu Yu in Tang Dynasty.

Before the reign of Emperor Guangxu of Qing Dynasty, Qimen only produced green tea, not black tea. Around 1875, Hu Yuanlong, a Qimen personage, drew lessons from the black tea making methods of other provinces, and prepared to build a tea factory. He used his own fresh tea leaves and asked master Shu Jili of Ningzhou to produce black tea according to Ninghong’s experience. Later, it was introduced into Beijing by Tongshengxiang tea house, and achieved success in the market. With the birth of Qimen black tea founded by Hu Yuanlong, Jiande black tea, Qimen black tea and Ningzhou black tea have long been competitors in the export market due to the similar quality of tea.

Qihong tea growing area has superior natural conditions, many mountain trees, warm and humid, deep soil layer, abundant rainfall, and many clouds, which is very suitable for the growth of tea. In addition, the main variety of local tea, Zhu Ye, has rich contents and high enzyme activity, which is very suitable for the production of Gongfu black tea. The fragrance of tea is persistent, like fruit and orchid, which is called “Qimen fragrance” in the international tea market. The color of tea soup and wet leaf is red and bright, and the taste is fresh and mellow. Even if it is mixed with milk and sugar, its fragrance is not reduced, but more fragrant.