tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825055425170299721.post5887303311804023593..comments2024-03-20T16:34:04.414-04:00Comments on Alex Zorach's Tea Blog: Where are the Keemun Tea Bags?Alex Zorachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08335878680429494039noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825055425170299721.post-71508243176142595712016-12-06T13:24:38.486-05:002016-12-06T13:24:38.486-05:00I'd love to give some recommendations! If you ...I'd love to give some recommendations! If you are open to brewing loose-leaf tea, there are some fantastic options for Keemun.<br /><br />Harney & Sons has some great options, selling several different grades. A company direct-shipping from China, with very good Keemun, is TeaVivre. I also have had multiple good Keemuns from Upton Tea Imports. Some really top-notch examples include the Spring Keemun from Andrews & Dunham, the Keemun Mao Feng from Life in Teacup (a tiny company with an inconsistent stock, not sure if they still have it), Joseph Wesley black tea. And Foojoy sells some good low-end Keemun in tins.<br /><br />For more detail read <a href="http://ratetea.com/browse_reviews.php?style_id=30&reviewer_id=1" rel="nofollow">my keemun reviews on RateTea</a>.<br /><br />I hope you and others find this useful!Alex Zorachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08335878680429494039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825055425170299721.post-81338025559801939302016-11-26T23:01:20.354-05:002016-11-26T23:01:20.354-05:00I find it interesting that you noticed a paucity o...I find it interesting that you noticed a paucity of both Keemun teabags and Keemun tea here in the U.S. I am an American in my 50s, and I grew up on "Twinings China Keemun" tea. It used to come in a black tin (loose leaf) or in a light yellow box (teabags). It has always been my favorite breakfast tea. Sometime in the 70s, Twinings discontinued selling Keemun in North America. I have done extensive searching both online and in stores all over the U.S. and in Canada, but it simply cannot be found. I guess us Yanks just can't appreciate a really good cup of tea, and the folks at Twinings (and all the other mainstream tea companies) have capitalized on that fact. I have lately been ordering samples from a number of "purveyors of fine tea", but compared to the Twinings I remember, they all are tasteless. If you can recommend some good Keemun providers, I would be most appreciative. Keemun Loverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03306219502290004907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825055425170299721.post-59636403823235233702013-04-17T10:08:25.263-04:002013-04-17T10:08:25.263-04:00Great post and very useful comments. I appreciate ...Great post and very useful comments. I appreciate the discussion. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825055425170299721.post-31554512101845325422012-09-23T15:06:28.052-04:002012-09-23T15:06:28.052-04:00This is interesting! Thanks for sharing!
If you ...This is interesting! Thanks for sharing!<br /><br />If you really want Keemun, there are so many fantastic providers of loose-leaf Keemun which I could recommend.Alex Zorachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08335878680429494039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825055425170299721.post-55716998860648042012012-09-17T08:57:33.225-04:002012-09-17T08:57:33.225-04:00As someone who loves Keemun tea (in tea bags, for ...As someone who loves Keemun tea (in tea bags, for convenience), I will tell you that Twinings did offer Keemun tea bags. Slowly, but surely, they retreated. They removed from the U.S. market about two years ago, so I had taken to ordering from the U.K, until they quit offering it by itself and included it only as part of their "clearly refreshing" teas. I have ordered tea bags from other outfits, generally being disappointed. Finally, I happened onto Dean and DeLuca and have found my fix. My only hope is that D&D keep offering the product. For me, it is all that I drink.<br /><br />I first decided to explore Keemun after seeing that it was part of the blend in Twinings Prince of Wales tea.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825055425170299721.post-91950998024592871982012-04-25T21:04:36.959-04:002012-04-25T21:04:36.959-04:00I'm satisfying my cravings now with some Hu Ho...I'm satisfying my cravings now with some Hu Hong from TeaSource (via bulk bin at the local co-op, where I was able to buy just a half-ounce). It's from Hunan and I'm not sure if it really tastes like a Keemun black, but it's close enough to what I was looking for. And it fits your description of being the warming, satisfying "opposite" of the Darjeeling 2nd flush I was drinking earlier.Scott Fnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825055425170299721.post-79592531970653315892012-04-23T09:39:35.849-04:002012-04-23T09:39:35.849-04:00Aww, I'm rather sorry! =P
I actually get that...Aww, I'm rather sorry! =P<br /><br />I actually get that way too. It had been such a very long time since I had had Keemun, I was getting a bunch of sample offers but no Keemun so I asked if companies could switch out some of the teas I was less of a fan for, for Keemun.<br /><br />I find that Keemun satisfies me in a way very different from how a lot of other black teas too. It's almost the opposite of a Darjeeling. The Keemun feels more warming and satisfying and the Darjeeling more cooling and refreshing.Alex Zorachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08335878680429494039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825055425170299721.post-66877232430130134332012-04-21T03:09:13.456-04:002012-04-21T03:09:13.456-04:00This post has made me crave Keemun tea for the pas...This post has made me crave Keemun tea for the past couple days. Unfortunately, I don't have one on hand right now, even looseleaf (and since I have about 30 different teas open I'm not allowing myself to buy more as of yet...)Scott Fnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825055425170299721.post-45534092796251796412012-04-19T21:23:11.454-04:002012-04-19T21:23:11.454-04:00I'd never thought about this until you mention...I'd never thought about this until you mentioned it. I like Keemun but sadly my most recent one was horribly disappointing. Loose leaf but purchased from the only teashop we have; just boring, and flavorless. I suspect it was not exactly fresh.<br />Anyway, I found a few companies that offer Keemun in bags; they are Culinary Teas, Dean de Luca, and Twinings did offer one, but it was included in their "Clearly Refreshing" range, which has been discontinued. That makes me think that Keemun didn't work well for Twinings, at least not in a bag. Because I don't see any evidence that they included it in any other range.<br />Here are the links I've found:<br />http://www.culinaryteas.com/Teabags/Keemun_Panda_Grade_1_Tea.html<br />http://www.deandeluca.com/coffee-tea-cocoa/tea-by-type/black-tea/dean-and-deluca-keemun-tea-bags.aspx<br />Also: "Imperial Tea Garden" "Baltimore Coffee and Tea Company" "Kungaloosh - never heard of them in PA. and some sites in the UK. But - actually - looking at Adagios they do also offer their Keemun in pyramid tea bags if you so desire.<br />So, I'd say it looks like it is available but it's not a hot seller. I actually don't think it's as well known as Ceylon, or Darjeeling, or Assam - maybe the name doesn't ring enough bells...Jackiehttp://teatra.denoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825055425170299721.post-77824821403810178072012-04-19T18:12:02.694-04:002012-04-19T18:12:02.694-04:00Haha, yeah. I'm not a huge fan of tea bags, s...Haha, yeah. I'm not a huge fan of tea bags, so it's not like I personally feel anything is missing here. It's mainly that it seemed counterintuitive to me.<br /><br />What are your favorite sources of Keemun, by the way?Alex Zorachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08335878680429494039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825055425170299721.post-47021622735416080012012-04-19T18:10:05.002-04:002012-04-19T18:10:05.002-04:00It's certainly an interesting observation, but...It's certainly an interesting observation, but it might be prudent to think "Yay! Keemun isn't generally on offer in teabags!" - I would see this as an opportuni-tea to celebrate rather than comiserate, but this is purely my humble opinion of course :o) Think I might pop over to my tea cupboard to look for a Keemun Hao Ya B. Haven't had that in a while. Thanks for a thought provoking blog post.MayKing Teahttp://www.maykingtea.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825055425170299721.post-12939199061171679122012-04-19T11:45:53.597-04:002012-04-19T11:45:53.597-04:00Hmmmm...this is a good question. I've got to ...Hmmmm...this is a good question. I've got to give it some thought. ;-)Stephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05753205572837649406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825055425170299721.post-66458691448037720902012-04-19T11:45:44.253-04:002012-04-19T11:45:44.253-04:00This is true with some breakfast blends, for examp...This is true with some breakfast blends, for example, Adagio's English Breakfast is a pure Keemun. (Wegmans' on the other hand is a pure Yunnan).<br /><br />If Keemun black tea in tea bags is sold as "English Breakfast", it hasn't been labelled as such. On RateTea we're careful to scan the whole commercial description of a tea for information on the origin, and the only single-origin English Breakfast teas from China that are in our database are loose-leaf.<br /><br />I can't imagine a company wouldn't want to advertise the fact that they are using a single-origin tea, that seems like a missed opportunity. I suppose it's possible but it seems very unlikely to me.Alex Zorachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08335878680429494039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825055425170299721.post-65467615700678207272012-04-19T11:33:23.952-04:002012-04-19T11:33:23.952-04:00Is it possible that Keemun source black tea is oft...Is it possible that Keemun source black tea is often sold in teabags labeled "xxx breakfast"? Maybe breakfast tea title is considered more marketable than a word "Keemun" which itself doesn't make much sense.Gingkohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00717840609096741544noreply@blogger.com