Keemun Quandry

It has been my practice on every Spring harvest trip to China to re-cup all the samples I acquired  before I depart for home. In the past, I have almost never had a change of heart from the original cupping to the final cupping. This year is the first time I have experienced a change of heart!

 When I re-cupped the Keemun samples I helped make I was torn between accepting them for what they are or rejecting them. Even though I like the teas produced and find them to be interesting, the old timer tea buyer in me tells me that these are NOT traditional Keemuns. These are teas that the new Chinese consumers want. And if you've never had a great traditionally produced Keemun, you would tend to agree and be happy with the new flavor profile.

 The trouble is that I KNOW what a traditional Keemun is supposed to be like.  And now I don't know what to do - accept and enjoy the elements of the teas for what they are or reject and keep trying to find a provider who is following the old traditions?

 I am really having a difficult time wrestling with this issue. I wish some of you out there can chime in and let me know what your thoughts are?

Tai Ping Hou Kui Factory

After lunch, I visited the Anhui Yunxi tea factory. This factory owns its own organic tea farm and produces many fine organic green teas. Here I was able to watch how a semi-automated  (as opposed to traditional hand-made and much more expensive) Tai Ping Hou Kui (what we called Taiping Monkey King). I hope you like the video I am posting.



Tai Ping Hou Kui, Semi-Automated Production from Babette Donaldson on Vimeo.
Tai Ping Hou Kui, Semi-Automated Production

Producing a supurb Keemun - 2013 Harvest

I returned to the factory to cup last night’s production, and would like to think that my involvement was beneficial. After cupping the first batch of last night’s production I was just floored by how good it turned out.

The aim for this batch was to retain floral notes without the excessive bitter astringency commonly associated with today’s lower “fermented” Keemuns. After long discussions with the factory's head tea maker, Mr. Li, we decided to give this batch of excellent material a longer withering period and then use the standard oxidation time for the rest of the production. It work out just exquisitely, final cupping shows nice rich floral notes with no grassy bitterness.

I am still amazed on how floral a black tea like this can get! I took the entire production of forty kilos. The factory will be sorting out all unqualified leaves and will pack the tea tomorrow for shipment. I will give my final OK when I return for one more cupping to confirm acceptance. I can’t wait to share this tea with anyone that will listen to me!

Empty Fermentation Trough

Empty Fermentation Chamber - Interior

This second batch was aimed towards producing a "traditional" keemun black tea. This batch was given more time both in the "fermentation" trough and the "fermentation" chamber. The process was watched VERY carefully to make sure no over-fermentation occurred. The aim is to produce a deep red liquor with the trademark "keemun" sweetness and unique fragrance. The mouth-feel must be smooth and the sweet finish must be long lasting.

This morning's cupping showed excellent results. I asked for one final charcoal firing to reduce moisture to 6% and to further heighten the aromatics. The final firing helped seal in the flavor. Tea fired correctly can remain fresh tasting for much longer period of time. Charcoal firing is the preferred method when performed with skill. Otherwise, this is where your favorite Keemun takes on that annoying smokiness that often exhibited with a lot of the Keemuns produced. I asked the factory to finish firing and sorting by tomorrow morning when I return for a final cupping before departing to Fuzhou for this year’s Jasmine tea planning with my people there.

Sorting the tea by hand, selecting only the finest leaves, removing leaves of lesser quality.

After cuppings, I agreed to go to lunch but with NO ONE who smokes! This time, my head of gray hair helped me. Since most of them are younger, they deferred to the old guys who may have a heart attack (I use the heart attack scenario to full effect whenever I can).

Birdcage Lamps in a Chinese Tea Room

I often hear from those of you who remember our original Imperial Tea Court in Chinatown that you  will never forget the birdcages. So this string of birdcages as lamps caught my idea and reminded me of happy and challenging days when we were just beginning our life in tea in San Francisco.

Bird cage lamps in a Chinese tearoom.

This is for all you customers who have been loyal for twenty-something years.

More About Keemun Production

I had totally forgotten why I haven't been huffing it to the factories the last few years. I always thought that I am getting old and soft and surly. It was easier to have the factory bring all the samples to be cupped to my hotel or my office and I would cup the samples and give instructions then re-cup the next day.

Well yesterday, I got excited by a sample at Mr. Shao Hui's office, so I left the hotel at 7 am and got to the factory at 9, ready to give em hell. I started the day cupping all of last night's production. I have to say that I was so disappointed I was ready to walk off! 

Fresh Leaves - Withering on Bamboo Mats

But fresh picked leaves started to arrive and the factory start to hum into action. I started looking over everyone's shoulder and I’m sure I was being a general pest and thorn in everyone's side. After all, who needs someone from far away telling you what to do? I am sure they've got moms and dads and may be a wife or two that does a good job at home!

Anyway, lunchtime came along rather quickly and the factory bosses and their entourage invited me to lunch and off we went. Memories of one of the few things I no longer enjoy came rushing back. It was the damn drinking and smoking! Being a resident of California where smoking is almost a sin against God himself, so I've been pampered for the last few years. I've forgotten how annoying it is to be the only non-smoker surrounded by a group of chimneys! I was glad that lunch was done eventually.

By the time we returned to the factory, the fresh leaves that arrived in the morning were now being oxidized in the "fermenting trough". This is a concrete trough with controlled, warmed air to accelerate the oxidation process. Since there's not much I could do during this phase of the process, we went to look at other factories to see what they had to offer. 

Fermenting Trough

We sped through four different factories in the Keemun County and there just not very many teas offered that interested me. The new so-called "market demands" are driving black tea to be harvested earlier so that more tippy leaves can be produced. Since Chinese consumers are new black tea drinkers, their expectation is different than a western consumer who is much more familiar with the typical style of black tea that produce a deep red liquor with less regard for leaf appearance.

The Chinese consumer today wants a good-looking leaf that produces lighter and more golden color liquor with more a floral note but requires lighter oxidation to achieve. They are willing to pay top dollar. The drawback is that lower oxidization can produce a green grassy-like astringency that I despise. The raw bitterness lingers way too long and destroys any hope of smooth texture and mouth-feel. I decided to get back to the factory to see what's up.

Fermentation Chamber In Operation

While we were away, the production continued. The next step is the "fermentation chamber" where the tea is loaded on bamboo trays and the chamber is kept at 25 to 28 degrees C with 90 percent humidity (Sorry, no pictures since I would like to keep my camera working a bit longer). 

 

Hand Rolling In a Heated Wok

Once that is done the tea is then hand rolled and shaped in a wok heated with charcoal fire. Then it is dried and sorted. 

It is now 11:30 pm at night and I have just gotten back from the factory. I am very encouraged by some of the production from today. I left final instructions for the workers to finish up so I can come in to re-cup tomorrow morning, if all goes according to plan, I will be sending some home, remember, we want floral notes but we also want a smooth cup with that typical honey sweet tone, if I am successful tomorrow, I'll let you be the judge to see if I have done it.

I know now why I kind of quietly moved away from working at the factory level. Some of it is certainly because I appreciate other peoples' hard work and really don't want to make it more difficult by being a constant pain in the ass. I'll also admit that I'm no longer 35 so I'm getting a bit soft! But seriously, it ain't the hard work or the long hours, it's those nine other nut jobs that wants to smoke a pack of cigarette each over a great meal while drinking gut rotting liquor with the windows closed! 

I guess if it’s all easy everyone would be doing it right? 

I LOVE MY JOB!