Keemun Panda #1 from Dragonwater

Scent in package: Lightly fruity, with hints of chocolate
Brewed in: unbleached filter bag
Steeped: 5 min. @ boiling (spring water)
Cup: Café mug

I meant to have this up yesterday, but work got in the way. Now that we finally have DSL service at home though, I can start posting from there, which will make things much easier. This week is “Dragonwater Week”, since I just received an order from the company, so some interesting things to delve into.

According to the label, this tea is “matchless”, with “a flavor that almost sings”. Who could resist that description? I was a little surprised at the lack of strong fragrance when I opened the bag, but it was still quite lovely, fruity with chocolate undertones, even though it tried to hide from my oh-so-keen sense of smell. The leaves are typical Keemun, small, dark and twisted, and they brew up into a dark golden red liquor that is also very lightly scented.

The smell of the brew is almost fruity mixed with malty, reminding me of a darjeeling at first. There is definitely a muscatel taste to this tea, and it blends in a most fascinating manner with the more typical chocolate undertones as it slides over the tongue. It’s very slightly bitter, with a hint of dryness, but try as I might, I can’t seem to get past the fruit notes to anything deeper. The viscosity seems okay at first, but then it’s almost like the tea and water are separate entities in the cup, competing with each other rather than fusing.

Needless to say, this cup didn’t “sing” to me. Honestly, it barely whispered, and I’m quite fond of Keemuns, so it was rather disappointing. I was glad I only ordered the sample size (1/2 oz.). It’s not “bad”…it’s just flat, and uninteresting, and there are many other keemuns out there that I’d prefer to drink.

Those who tend more toward darjeelings might enjoy this tea, I think.