It is said - at least on the Vicony profile - that this Hong Mao Feng was presented to foreign dignitaries as a "gift tea", hence the special delineation from regular Mao Feng. Vicony Teas also mentions that this was presented to Queen Victoria on her birthday and later became one of her favorite teas. I have heard claims of this nature before - particularly of Bai Hao Oolong - but I'd buy it. Keemun is, after all, a primary ingredient in a high-quality English Breakfast blend.

Vicony also mentions that this Keemun Mao Feng sub-type has an unusually sweet character to it, even more so than the average Keemun. From smell alone, I wouldn't doubt it. There was a fruit-sweet profile to the aroma. At first, I thought there'd been some mix-up; like a sample bag for a fruit-flavored tea had been emptied to make room for this. But given the description Vicony provided, I supposed it was possible that was a natural aspect of the tea. The gold-tip-dotted appearance also promised something different from the norm.

I couldn't find any brewing instructions for this. Typical approach for Keemun was like any other black tea; I brewed 'em a bit on the light side - 1 tsp in 8oz of boiled water, steeped for three minutes. I did just that here.

The cup brewed to a light amber infusion - surprising since I was expecting a red (or "hong") color. Echoing the lightness in color was a fragrance reminiscent of honey, maple, and just a touch of malt. The flavor also threw a curve ball with a lean closer to strawberry leaf than any black tea I've tried. Astringency was mild, bitterness was nonexistent, but some of that might've been due to my light steeping. While not as striking as some of Vicony's other Keemuns, this had a character I rather appreciated. One doesn't often find subtleties in Keemun, but this had 'em.

— To purchase Vicony Teas Gift Keemun Hong Mao Feng, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular tea, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.

Geoff Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Geoff's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Geoff.

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