Keemun Panda China Black Tea - Loose Leaf Bulk - 5LB

The Keemun Panda China Black Tea blend from English Tea Store is a bright, reddish brew that delivers a winey, fruity flavor with depth and complexity. Our Keemun Panda China Black Tea takes milk well and rewards the drinker with an exotic cup.

Of all the China black teas available, Keemun Panda is probably one of the best known. Keemun is one of the congou-type teas meaning it requires a great deal of gongfu, (disciplined skill) to make into fine taut strips without breaking the leaves. Interestingly, the characters in the written Chinese script for time and labor are the same as those used for 'gongfu'. It is often said that a properly produced Keemun, such as Panda, is one of the finest teas in the world with a complex aromatic and penetrating character often compared to burgundy wines. Traditionally, Keemuns were used in English Breakfast tea. Keemun is one the best-keeping black teas. Fine specimens will keep for years if stored properly and take on a mellow winey character.

The name Keemun comes from Qimen county in southern Anhui province where almost all the mountains are covered with tea bushes. Qimen county produced only green tea until the mid 1870's. Around that time a young man in the civil service lost his job. Despite being totally heartbroken and completely embarrassed by his shame, he remembered what his father told him - 'A skill is a better guarantor of a living than precarious officialdom'. Following this advice, the young man packed up his courage and his bags to travel to Fujian Province to learn the secrets of black tea manufacturing. Upon his return to Qimen in 1875, he set up three factories to produce black tea. The black tea method was perfectly suited to the tea leaves produced in this warm, moist climate with well drained sandy soil. Before long, the superb flavor of Keemuns became very popular around the world.

Caffeine content: Medium - This tea contains natural caffeine found in the L. Camellia Sinensis family. A cup of black tea steeped in boiled water for 5 minutes will contain between 27 to 35 milligrams of caffeine. An equal sized cup of coffee will contain between 80 – 100 milligrams of caffeine. Caffeine quickly becomes soluble in very hot water. If you wish to reduce the caffeine level in this tea, briefly rinsing the tea leaves in extremely hot water will reduce the caffeine content between 25-50% with only a minor effect on taste.

Antioxidant Content: Medium - The longer you steep your tea the more polyphenols will be extracted. (Test results based on 5 minutes steeping time. Polyphenol percentages may fluctuate with lot, grade of tea, testing method, temperature of water and freshness of tea). More antioxidants are extracted from tea (L. Camellia Sinesis) the longer it is brewed. And the more tea is used, the greater the antioxidant benefit.