Qi Men Hong祁门红茶

Qi Men Hong is a anhui-red black tea from Qimen County, Anhui, China. Brew it at 90°C with 5g of leaf per 100ml of water; expect up to 9 short infusions in a small gaiwan or teapot. No rinse needed.

Tasting notes

If you only know Keemun from English Breakfast blends, solo Qi Men Hong is going to confuse you — in a good way. The aroma off the warm gaiwan lid is genuinely floral: a dry orchid thing, almost like smelling a good Dan Cong, which you would not expect from a red tea. The liquor is lighter than Dian Hong, closer to medium-bodied, and the flavour runs cocoa → stone fruit → a faint red-wine tannin on the swallow. That wine-like edge is the Keemun signature; lose it and you are drinking a blend filler. Mao Feng grades stay floral and polite, Hao Ya grades thicken up with tobacco and leather. The trap is heat. Push past 90°C and the cocoa turns drying and the orchid walks off. Short, cooler steeps keep the aromatics in the cup where they belong.

Flavor profile

Called the 'Champagne of Black Teas' for good reason. Opens with a distinct orchid fragrance, then layers of cocoa, stone fruit, and a wine-like smoothness unfold across infusions. Mao Feng grades have a lighter, more floral character; Hao Ya grades are richer with tobacco-like depth.

Terroir

Low mountains (300-700m), frequent fog and rain, loamy red soil

Cultivar: Qimen Zhu Ye (祁门槠叶种)

Brewing

1. Steep 1: 10 seconds
2. Steep 2: 10 seconds
3. Steep 3: 15 seconds
4. Steep 4: 15 seconds
5. Steep 5: 20 seconds
6. Steep 6: 25 seconds
7. Steep 7: 30 seconds
8. Steep 8: 40 seconds
9. Steep 9: 50 seconds

Keemun responds well to slightly cooler water (85-90°C) — too hot and the cocoa notes turn bitter. Higher grades (Hao Ya) benefit from a porcelain gaiwan to preserve the delicate orchid aroma.

Aroma & taste

Processing

• withered
• rolled
• fully oxidized
• dried
• sorted

Sources

• https://meileaf.com/tea/superior-keemun/
• https://yunnansourcing.com/pages/brewing-guide-for-green-black-oolong-and-pu-erh-teas
• https://white2tea.com/blogs/blog/how-to-brew-gongfu-style-an-expert-guide-to-making-tea
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keemun
• https://senchateabar.com/blogs/blog/keemun