If I've ever had a prototypical Keemun, this is it; it would make an excellent standard against which to compare other examples of this tea, although it also had a few ways in which it stood out.

The dry leaf is fine, and very pleasantly aromatic, hinting at notes of dried fruit and light wood smoke, and suggesting warmth. It's a comforting aroma.

Brews up a rich cup with a mellow flavor and a warming quality. Very soft up-front in the sip, with no initial bitterness. I find this tea is easy to drink quickly, without paying attention to it, but when I focus on each sip, there's a lot going on in it. The aroma of the brewed cup is lightly smoky, and earthy, with a hint of a sort "barnyard" smells, especially like old hay or straw. I actually found these more earthy qualities very pleasant.

I was able to brew two cups, using a very long steep for the second. The second cup was surprisingly different in character, being more cooling and refreshing. The flavor was bold, and the smokiness came out more in the aroma, yet the body was thinner and the tea tasted a lot less hearty.

As is usually the case with Upton, outstanding value! This tea was better than a lot of black teas in a higher price range. Compare with TeaVivre's Keemun Grade 1, which is actually much pricier...I think I may slightly prefer that tea, but this one is much cheaper and is very similar in style. I've had many other Keemuns that cost more than this that I enjoyed less. This would be an excellent everyday tea, especially for people who like hearty, warming black teas with a mellow flavor.

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