If you purchase this product you will earn Premium Keemun Golden Needle (Jin Zhen) Black Tea
Keemun Black Tea—known in Chinese as Qimen Hongcha (祁门红茶)—takes its name from its birthplace: Qimen County in Anhui Province. Revered as one of China’s Top Ten Famous Teas and celebrated globally as a premier black tea, it is beloved for its signature “Keemun Fragrance,” an exquisite blend of floral, fruity, and sweet honey notes.
This Year’s Batch: Early Spring First Flush Golden Needle
We are thrilled to offer this exclusive, first-flush batch from a local tea farm in Qimen. Classified as the premium Golden Needle (Jin Zhen) grade, its plucking standard is exceptionally high. Harvested at the very beginning of spring, it consists only of tender single buds and one bud with one newly unfurled leaf.
The Golden Needle Craftsmanship
There are four main types of Keemun Black Tea: Keemun Gongfu (功夫红茶), Snail-Shaped Keemun (Xiang Luo 香螺), Keemun Fur Peak (Mao Feng 毛峰), and Golden Needle (Jin Zhen 金针).
While standard Keemun processing involves four basic steps—withering, rolling, fermentation, and drying—Golden Needle utilizes the new refining technique. After fermentation, instead of being dried immediately, the leaves undergo a meticulous shaping process. True to its name, the finished dry leaves resemble delicate golden needles: small, straight, and beautifully adorned with golden pekoe. Compared to other Keemun black tea, Golden Needle yields an exceptionally lingering fragrance, highlighted by a prominent sweetness and elegant floral and fruity tasting notes.
The Secret Behind the Signature Keemun Fragrance
The captivating aroma of Keemun black tea is determined by three key factors:
- The Cultivar: Keemun is primarily crafted from the Zhu Ye Zhong tea cultivar. This specific varietal is inherently rich in aromatic compounds, possessing a much higher concentration of fragrance-producing substances than other tea trees.
- The Terroir: Qimen County is a designated “National Ecological Demonstration Area.” The tea plantations are nestled within high-mountain forests. This pristine natural environment and nutrient-rich soil provide the perfect conditions for the tea leaves to accumulate vital aromatic oils.
- The Making Process: The traditional processing of Keemun black tea is incredibly complex and refined, involving up to 17 meticulous steps. The initial fermentation and the subsequent double-drying stages are crucial for developing the robust floral and fruity profile. Finally, careful heating during the baking process caramelizes the natural sugars in the leaves, culminating in that signature, mouth-watering honey fragrance.
Weight per pack: 50g
Tea Farm Location: Qimen, Anhui province, China
Harvest Time: Spring 2026 – First Flush Batch
Tea Liquor Colour: bright and clear orange-red
Dry Leave Appearance: small, straight and slightly twisted, dark with golden pekoe in between
Wet Leaves: brown
Tasting Notes: sweet, elegant, lingering floral, fruity, honey notes
