Keemun Congfu
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Commercial Description
...This stunningly complex and varied tea has all the characteristics of an outstanding Keemun black tea: tightly rolled leaves, crystalline auburn/red liquor, sugary aroma and an unforgettably sweet taste that grows in complexity the more it is steeped.
Ratings & Reviews
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97 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5Alex Zorach (1453 reviews) on Dec. 15th, 2014
Something fascinating and wonderful...a Keemun of top-quality produced outside the traditional area, yet in an area with a tradition of artisanal black tea production. Seems to combine the best qualities of Keemun with qualities of Fujian gong fu / congou black teas. I saved this tea review for last, from the recent samples of Joseph Wesley Black Tea, because it was my favorite of the bunch. It's also among my favorite Keemuns ever sampled.
The dry leaf has a strong aroma, and it is rather unlike most Keemun, with a strong suggestion of rye malt, cocoa, and unusually, peanut butter.
Upon brewing, becomes incredibly complex: the traditional Keemun notes come out in the aroma, the rye malt and peanut is still there, and there are woody notes with a hint of smoke. The cup is full-bodied and rich, and the flavor bold without being too bitter.
The finish is very different, leaving aromatic notes of stone and a cool, wintry smell. The finish is clean, fresh, and cool, contrasting with the rich, warming quality of the tea.
Easily brews a second cup which was just as rich and flavorful, similar, but with a slightly different balance of aromas that I find hard to put into words. Surprisingly, this cup is just as bold and full-bodied as the first.
And brews an amazing third cup! The third cup has a remarkably different flavor and aroma. It is light-bodied, but has rich, peppery notes in the aroma and produces a peppery sensation on the palate, suggestive of Yunnan red teas (Dian hong).
This tea is not cheap, but it's one of the best teas I've ever sampled, and without a doubt my favorite Keemun that I've sampled. The leaf also stretches incredibly far: not only does it easily resteep a full three times, with Western-style brewing (I started 3 minutes, did 3, 5, 12ish minutes) but you can get a very rich cup even using little leaf (a teaspoon suffices for a strong cup, and you can get away with less, especially if you steep longer).
If you are only going to get a single tea from Joseph Wesley, I'd recommend this one. Several of their other teas were excellent as well, but this one was mind-blowing and truly stood out among the rest.
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