Tea: Qimen Zongzi (祁门粽子茶)
Type: Red Tea
Harvest: April 2025
Region: Anhui Province, Qimen County, Pingli Township.
Producer: Master Zheng
Tasting Notes: Peanut, Cedar Bark, Barley, Vegetal.
This is another modern spin on Keemun from a younger producer. It is significantly thicker and creamier than the orange peel keemun. In this "dumpling," swirled keemun has been wrapped inside a mature summer leaf processed as a green tea. It is this external green tea leaf that adds a layer of vegetal thickness. When brewed all together, this balances out the sharp, TCM warmth of the keemun with soothing notes of cucumber and leafy vegetables. The compound flavor at times is reminiscent of green cedar bark, and unlike any red tea we have enjoyed before.
Weighing in around 7 grams, these dumplings could be brewed in a western teapot or enjoyed gongfu style. For faster tea pot brewing, you can remove the strings and unravel the external leaf. Alternatively, if you brew it gongfu style, you could leave the out wrapping on for a few infusions before unraveling it more intact. This a fun tea to play out with and is enjoyable either way.
For more on Master Zheng and Keemun, check out the blog below:
Keemun: How China’s Most Famous Red Tea Lost Itself
