Although Keemun tea is famous in Europe, especially in England where it’s been a favorite of the monarchy for the past 160 years, most people in China have never tasted this wonderful tea.
Chinese people have traditionally been inclined to drink oolong and green teas, and have only recently begun to pay attention to black tea. Keemun (Qimen in modern spelling) is the name of the county in Anhui Province where the tea was first grown. It’s best known as the “burgundy” of teas, for it has a rich liquor with an orchid fragrance. This is known in Chinese as a “gong fu” or “kung fu” tea, which refers to the “disciplined skill” required to produce the dark wiry leaves. A higher grade of Keemun is called “Mao Feng” or “hair point.” No other black tea is similar to Keemun in taste or fragrance.

There are two stories regarding the origins of Keemun. The most common story is of the government official She Ganchen, who after leaving office in Fujian Province and returning to his home county of Keemun in 1875, decided to manufacture black tea which he had learned about while living in Fujian. The tea was embraced by western importers and She was able to persuade local farmers to produce this black tea. A second story attributes the tea’s beginnings to Hu Yuanlung, who faced with a weak green tea market decided to produce for the stronger black tea export market and opened the Rishun Factory in 1876.

Today, Keemun is produced in the Anhui Province counties of Qimen, Shitai, Dongzhi, Guichi, Yi, and Guangshan, as well as the Jiangxi Province region around Jingdezhen City, best known for its porcelain.

Although Keemun is described as having a faint orchid or rose scent, we’ve often thought it also suggests dark chocolate. Try steeping for 4 minutes, but experiment with longer or shorter steeping times.

by Indigo Tea Co.

Of the hundreds of green teas grown in China, undoubtedly the most famous is Dragon Well.
It’s flat, shiny green leaves and sweet chestnut taste have been desired by Chinese people for centuries. It was first recognized in the West when President Nixon was served Dragon Well during a visit to the area with Premier Zhou Enlai in 1972. History: Dragon Well, or Long Jing (sometimes spelled “Lung Ching”) is first mentioned as “Long Hong” by Lu Yu (AD 733-804) in his Classic of Tea (Cha Jing). Although Lu Yu didn’t rank the tea as extraordinary, his record proves the early recognition of this tea. Lu Yu called the tea “Long Hong.” In fact, the Dragon Well name wasn’t applied to the tea until the Ming Dynasty, when it was mentioned in a county gazette history in 1609. Tea from this area was mentioned by other poets through the ages, including the Song Dynasty statesman-poet Su Dongpo. Song tea names included Bai Yun (Treasure Cloud), Xiang Lin (Fragrant Forest), and Bai Yun (White Cloud).

Myth: The unique Dragon Well name comes from the well and village located in the middle of the tea growing area, an area of misty green mountains a little southwest of Hangzhou City in Zhejiang Province (a couple of hours by train from Shanghai). The most popular story explaining the origins of the Dragon Well, is of a Taoist priest living in the area around AD 250 who told farmers to end their drought by praying to a dragon who lived in a nearby well. The rains came and the well became famous. The Dragon Well Monastery still stands next to the well. On a few visits to the well, we’ve been shown how when you swirl your hand in the pool of water a twisted swirl or dragon-like effect appears deep within the water then disappears. It is believed that this is caused when dense, underground water is stirred and raised to the surface to mix with a lighter density ground water. The dense water then sinks again. You have to see it to believe it. Locals have a story that the well is connected underground with the sea and that a dragon lives within. Perhaps that’s what is really going on.

Chinese Grading System: The different grades of Dragon Well are numerous and confusing. Traditionally, there were 5 grades based on the villages where the tea was produced:

Lion: (from Shizi Feng or “Lion’s Peak”)
Dragon: (from Long Jing “Dragon Well” and Weng Jia Shan “Weng Family Mountain)
Cloud: (from Yun Qi “Cloud Settlement”), Tiger (from Hu Pao “Tiger Run” and Si Yan Jing “Four Eyes Well”)
Plum: (from Mei Jia Wu “Plum Family Village”).

Today, the best tea is said to come from Shizi Feng, followed by Mei Jia Wu, and Xi Hu “West Lake”. All are referred to as Dragon Well Green Tea. From each of these places the tea is further ranked into 10-13 grades. The very finest grade is picked as one bud and one leaf called Qi Qiang or “Flagged Spear” (when brewing, the bud floats like a flag and the leaves hang suspended like spears). The second highest grade is called Que She or “Sparrow’s Tongue” and is comprised of a bud and two leaves. Most of the high grades never leave China and are sold domestically. Because of the popularity of Dragon Well, this tea is now being produced in other areas of Zhejiang Province (including ours), yet are still delicious tasting.

Tea people often discuss the time of tea harvest. Dragon Well picked before the Qing MIng Festival (April 4-6) is ideal, especially tea from Shizi Feng. But even better is tea picked just before the Grain Rains or “Gu Yu” on the Lunar Calendar (April 19-21). In fact there is a rhymed saying that refers to picking Dragon Well around the Qing Ming Festival: “Picked 3 days before is treasure (bao); Picked 3 days after is grass (cao).

Traditionally, tea lovers described good Dragon Well as having four characteristics: green color, heavy fragrance, pure flavor, and beautiful leaf shape. Of course these are highly subjective traits, but it’s nice to think of them when sipping this tea.

Processing green tea is very labor intensive, from picking in the mountains, carrying it down to the processing site, rolling the leaves to soften them, and then repeatedly hand pressing the tea in hot woks to produce the dry but shiny flat green leaves. During the pan-frying process, the large electric woks are oiled or greased slightly with round blocks of white tree pith from the Chinese tallow tree.

Around Hangzhou, locals and tourists often visit the famous Hu Pao Spring, or Running Tiger Spring, which reputedly has the most ideal water for making Dragon Well tea. The water has a sweet, clean taste and a high surface tension. Tour guides like to show how water can be poured into a cup and rise slightly above the rim before overflowing.

The easiest way to drink Dragon Well green tea is to brew in a large mug or lidded cup (gaiwan). People around Hangzhou like to use clear drinking glasses, in order to watch the tea leaves unfurl and the water turn jade green. If you’re going to do this, make sure the glass is heat resistant and has a handle. The leaves will mostly settle to the bottom, and those that float can be blown to the side with a few light puffs. Generally, we steep Dragon Well in slightly cooled water (180 degrees F.) for one minute, give it a stir, and then allow to steep for one more minute. You can replenish with hot water and steep 2 or 3 times.

See if you can notice the nutty chestnut flavors present in China’s most famous green tea. And when you stir your cup to help the leaves settle down, don’t forget to look for the dragon.

by Indigo-Tea Co.

Without a doubt, the national drink of Japan is green Sencha tea.
When you arrive at a traditional inn or ryokan, you are presented with a cup of green Sencha tea; in restaurants, waitresses often serve you cups or mugs of green Sencha or roasted hojicha; and even the 7-11s are stocked with cold bottles of green tea. Japanese green Sencha tea is one of the most famous Asian teas, yet least appreciated outside Japan. Here’s an introduction to the most important types:

Sencha: Japan’s most famous tea, Sencha has been steamed then dried, resulting in a fresh, vegetal taste. Sencha tea is steeped very briefly (1 minute or less) in a tall, handleless cup or in a kyusu teapot, which has a handle angled out the side of the teapot. To prevent bitterness, the tea is brewed using water that is much below boiling.

Gyokuro is a very high quality green Sencha that is especially green due to the tea bushes being shaded by black mesh netting a few weeks before harvesting. This increases the caffeine content and chlorophyll, producing a very delicate and expensive tea.

Matcha or powdered green tea was long reserved for the Japanese tea ceremony, but in recent years people have begun to drink it as an everyday tea. Matcha is also used in cookies, cakes, and ice cream.

Hojicha was invented in the 1920s by a Kyoto tea merchant who decided to roast green tea. The flavor of roasted hojicha is “toasty” and slightly reminiscent of oolong tea. Because of the roasting process, there is virtually no caffeine.

Genmaicha is produced when green sencha is mixed with toasted rice. It has a very unique flavor that we especially love on chilly days.

Bancha is an inexpensive, low quality green tea drunk everyday.

For tea accessories, the ideal Japanese teapot is the kyusu, which has a handle jutting out the side. Tea is brewed for a very brief time and then poured into handleless, porcelain cups. Japanese tea is usually bought in small quantities and stored in small, metal tea containers, with tight-fitting lids.

by Indigo Tea Co.

Iced tea is America’s contribution to world tea culture. Because making iced tea is so easy, why not do it right?
Already by the 19th century iced tea recipes began to appear in cookbooks. But iced tea really took off in popularity when the tea merchant Richard Blechynden, unable to sell tea during a heat wave at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, decided to serve his tea over ice. It was a hit with visitors, and summer’s haven’t been the same since.

Today, iced tea is the most popular tea in America. Forget about instant iced tea from a jar; it’s too sweet and lacks real tea flavor. Great iced tea can be made with any black tea as well as flavored teas, such as Peach Black Tea, Lemon Green Tea, or even Oolong or Japanese Sencha. If you like it sweet, try using superfine baking or bartender’s sugar (you can also make your own in a food processor). You can also mix up a sugar syrup on the stove with a 1:1 ration of sugar to water, simmer for a few minutes, cool, and keep in the fridge for up to two weeks. If you allow tea to cool down naturally before refrigerating, it won’t cloud or “cream down.”

Cold Steeping
In this method, just double the amount of dry tea leaf (2 heaping tsp or 2 tea bags per cup), place in any clean jug and add the proper amount of cold water. Let the infusion stand in the refrigerator overnight or for at least six hours. Strain the tea into a second jug or container. Add sugar or lemon to taste. This is similar to sun tea, which also works fine, but some experts fear bacterial growth may occur in sun tea. I doubt it, but you be the judge.

Hot Steeping
Method 1: Use half the hot water you would ordinarily use for hot tea (1 tsp per 6 oz cup), infuse for 3-5 minutes, and pour over a full 12 oz glass of ice. The rapid cooling gives you a crystal clear tea.

Method 2: Some recipes call for doubling the tea leaf amount, steeping for 3-5 minutes, and then pouring into a container with the equal amount of cold water. This dilutes the strong tea and chills it quickly.

Fruit Juice Iced Tea Strong tea concentrates are especially great when mixed in a 1:1 ratio with lemonade or other fruit juices. Just be sure the juice doesn’t overpower the tea flavor. If you shake this mix with some sugar in a cocktail shaker or in a blender, the aerated drink is wonderfully fresh and light tasting.

Recommended Iced Tea Blend: Tropical Black Tea (passionfruit, mango, peaches and black tea)

by Indigo-Tea Co.

Milk tea, or the “tea latte,” has moved from India to East Asia to America, and now joins with the European tradition of tea with milk.

Tea with Milk: Whether you add tea to your cup tea first or last is up to you. Some argue that if you add milk last, you have better control over the amount, but others say that milk protects fine porcelain cups from cracking when the tea is poured, and the flavor of the milk is enhanced when the hot tea hits and scalds the milk. You be the judge. Just don’t add milk to Green or Oolong teas. Two-percent or whole milk is best. Cream is not good with tea, as the milk fats interact adversely with tea tannins.

Chai: In India, all tea is called “chai.” The most common method of brewing Indian Chai involves tossing tea leaves (usually broken Assam tea or CTC tea) into a kettle of boiling water, simmering for a few minutes, adding milk and sugar, and once the milk boils, removing from the stove and straining into a pre-warmed teapot or mug. Indian Chai sold by Chai Wallahs at train stations is usually made this way, and is very strong, milky, and sweet. The unglazed clay cup used for serving is then tossed from the train as you travel down the line.

Chai Tea Masala Chai: What American’s call Chai, should actually be called “masala chai,” or “spiced tea.” This recipe is the same as the Chai recipe above, but with the addition of spices such as cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, and so on. Many families in India have their own recipe, and grind fresh spices at home. Supermarkets now sell pre-mixed concentrates of Masala Chai that you add milk to and heat in a kettle or the microwave. Chai is also very popular in American coffeehouses, although usually made too sweet. Try our Masala Chai blend.

Tea Latte: The tea latte probably started in Japan and spread to America. Usually a strong black tea is mixed with steamed milk and sugar, plus flavored syrups, such as almond and vanilla. Be careful that the syrup flavor doesn’t overpower the taste of the tea. You can also brew up some flavored black tea and add hot milk or boil the whole concoction as in the first recipe.

Milk Tea Recipes
Recipe #1: Make a tea concentrate by doubling the amount of black tea leaf and brew a mug, or a half or full pot of tea. Fill pre-heated mug 2/3 full of brewed tea, add hot milk, and sweeten. Full bodied teas, such as our Assam Blend, English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast or Africa Morning are ideal.

Recipe #2: Add 1 heaping teaspoon dry tea leaf to 1 cup boiling water in saucepan and simmer for 1- 2 min. Add a little less than one cup of milk to tea mixture. When milk comes to a boil, remove saucepan from stove immediately and strain the �milk tea� into your cup, mug, or pre-heated teapot. Sweeten heavily!

Recommended Tea: Assam Blend

Current research suggests that green tea may prevent cancer, while black tea may prevent strokes and heart attacks.

The Miracle of Anti-Oxidants
Anti-oxidants, which help prevent cell damage, are found mostly in fruits and vegetables. Tea has anti-oxidants too, in the form of compounds called flavonoids. Green tea is high in simple flavonoids or catechins which researchers believe might be an anti-oxidant effective in preventing cancer. Black tea has more complex flavonoids known as theaflavins and thearubiginscatechins, which researchers believe may strengthen arteries and reduce the chances of stroke and heart disease. In case you were wondering, anti-oxidants go after “free radicals,” which are unstable oxygen molecules that damage our body’s cellular walls, and consequently damage DNA. “Free radicals” come from pollution, smoke, radiation, toxic substances, ultraviolet radiation, and are even a byproduct produced when the body converts food into energy. “Free radicals” damage our cells, rendering them unable to effectively fight cancer, aging, and other diseases.

Possible Health Benefits of Tea:

Indigo Tea Company

Water quality is very important to a good cup of tea.

Tap water should be filtered with a Brita or Everpure filter to avoid chemical or other bad flavors. Hard water makes bad tea, so if you are out camping, you might want to bring your own water. Soft water or pH 7 water is best for green teas, and pH 7.9 for most teas. Temperature
A rolling boil is usually needed to bring out the full flavor of teas, but lower temps are recommended for green teas to avoid bitterness. Sometimes you can allow boiling water to sit for a minute to cool down, or you can splash a little cold water into the kettle. Try using a thermometer to get a better understanding. After awhile, you’ll develop an innate feeling for when the water is ready.

Temperature Scale
(Based on Tang Dynasty tea scholar Lu Yu)

Fish Eyes: 160-180° F.
Tiny bubbles begin to float to the surface. Ideal for delicate green teas.

String of Pearls: 180-190° F.
Strings of bubbles connect bottom of kettle with surface. Good for most green teas.

Turbulent Waters: 190-210° F.
A rolling boil. Best for black and oolong teas.

Indigo Tea Company

Tea tasting, like wine tasting, pays attention to similar factors: sight, smell, taste and touch.

Usually, a tea tester works for a large tea factory or is involved in buying. They test several teas of the same type, such as Ceylon teas from the same estate. The tester looks at three things: the dry leaf (appearance and feel), the liquor (color, flavor and aroma), and the wet, freshly brewed tea leaf. At home, you can simplify tea tasting by comparing two Darjeelings. Or for fun, invite a friend or two and hold your own tasting. 1) Dry Leaf
You can tell a lot about a tea by first examining the dry leaves. Gently press some dry leaves in your hand. Most new teas are a little springier and less likely to crumble than an older teas. Look for fibers, dust or stalks and note the leaf size. With some experience, you will notice whether the leaf appears shiny and fresh, or dull and stale. Buy a good quality tea and pay attention to its dry appearance as well as its smell. Remember your impression.

2) Infuse & Examine Leaf
Measure a level teaspoon of each sample into infuser. Use white or clear cups to view the truest color. Begin your analysis of the infused leaves as the cups are filled. Smaller flat leaves will show more body than larger twisted leaves, which take longer to steep. Steep the teas for a fixed time, generally three to five minutes.

3) Color of Liquor
After steeping, take in the aroma of the tea and examine the infused leaves for color and evenness. Color does not necessarily indicate the strength or body of the liquor, but every tea has a unique look, taste, and feel peculiar to that tea.

4) Tasting
Now you’re ready to taste the tea. Take a spoonful of the liquid to your lower lip and slurp with force to ensure that the tea is sprayed over the entire tongue. Move the tea around in your mouth, sucking in more short bursts of air in order to release more delicate characteristics. This step is important since we taste bitterness at the back of the tongue, saltiness in the middle, sweetness in the front and sourness on the sides of the tongue. If you were working in a tea factory testing room, you would spit the tea into a waist-high spittoon and move on to the next tea.

It may be difficult to describe your findings at first, but after sampling many teas you will begin to notice similarities and differences in color, taste and smell. Many teas have a typical “character” or flavor profile. You may want to start a notebook to record your impressions.

Tea Vocabulary
Select a few words from the list below to expand your descriptive vocabulary of tea.

Dry Leaf (un-steeped tea)
Desirable characteristics: Curly, wiry, neat, blackish, bloom, clean, leafy, nose, tip, well twisted.

Undesirable characteristics: Mushy, ragged, grey, dull, light, uneven.

Infused Leaf
Desirable: bright, coppery, smooth, self drinking, full, rich, soothing, smokey.

Undesirable: dull, dark, tarry.

Liquor/Brew
Desirable: body (light, medium, or full), bright, brisk, character, point, pungent, quality, strength, flavor, full, mature, self-drinking (does not need to be blended with other teas)

Undesirable: baggy, bakey, bitter, brassy, burned, coarse, common, dry, dull, musty, plain, raw, soft, stewed, tainted, weedy, thin, earthy, empty, hard, harsh, heavy, lacking, green (referring to black tea).

Indigo Tea Company

Steeping Tea Guidelines

Good tea is not expensive!
Keep in mind that a pound of tea makes 180-200 cups. Therefore, a $6.00 bag of tea makes 50 cups (33 mugs) at a cost of .12 per cup.

Indigo Tea Company