It is not light, and it is not sweet. It is not bitter, nor astringent. It is a different sort of tea than any of the others I have tried. Underwhelming actually, but prompting me to think of a little cream, perhaps a drop of sweetener,(What? Me? Never!) leads me to believe there is a new journey here, starting with this Keenum, right now. You have simply got to try this tea if you have not had Keemun before and tell me what you think.
Small dark leaves, the scent of chocolate fills the gaiwan, this tea makes me ache for these long, hot days to end. The Japanese stove-top ceramic kettle I bought from Zen Tea seems to be shining towards me and suggesting that Keemun is how I should first begin to use her, this large, rounded old womanish kettle.
But she is big, and the sample, though ample at almost ten grams, cannot be combined, can it? Ah, so much to learn! I have become a talented novice with the gaiwan and a lover to a singular Jian Shui clay pot in whose loving arms Oriental Beauty, Jian Shui and I create a triad, but this is new territory.
Off to explore and taste new worlds from within the confines of my bungalow.
