Discover a whole new world of teas, Keemun Panda

Lately, I have been noticing a resurgence of consumers asking for loose leaf in the black teas. Usually, they have just discovered loose leaf is better than tea bags, but do not know any other choice other than English favorites like Orange Pekoe (which is not the name of a tea by the way, it is usually a Ceylon) and English Breakfast. They have not discovered Estate Teas yet. Estate teas, can come from anywhere in the world producing good quality teas. Unfortunately, today, in Ontario , the tea industry is where the wine was 25 years ago. I can remember going into the LCBO and you could not find any good red wines.Today the LCBO has improved greatly since the 80’s. In Canada, only two provinces are truly appreciating fine teas, Quebec and British Columbia. Anything in between, we have a long way to go, in creating a momentum and demand and educating consumers. At the present they are mostly drinking tea for its health benefit’s 90% of the time, unknowingly, they are not getting any health benefit , because they are drinking tea in tea bags. In my next blog I will elaborate on this subject. Today, I would like to talk about a wonderful black tea from China. In China, black tea is often called red tea. It is called red tea due to the color of the infusion. The rest of the world refers to it, as Black tea. Most of the black tea production from China is for export. Of all teas produced in China, Keemun Panda is probably one of the best known. Often compared to Burgundy wines, Keemuns have a complex aromatic cup. The aroma is fruity, with hints of pine, dried plum with a slight flowery note, displaying hints of orchid. Depending on the variety of Keemun, the cup might be more bitter and more smoky. Keemun Panda #1 is simply outstanding and without any bitterness or astringency.
Keemun are also one of the best keeping black teas, retaining their flavor for years if stored properly and will mellow their winey character. I strongly encourage you to go out of your comfort zone, and sip a new tea.Just find a tea shop that sells this tea. A good tea shop should be able to provide you with a sample. This tea, will also, entice you to try other black teas, now that you have discover that teas are like wine, from one terroir to another, from one garden to another, the aromas vary greatly. I also strongly suggest you to inhale the aromas coming from your cup, before tasting, it helps improving your tasting ability. You might not even be able to return to your Orange pekoe after tasting this tea. Orange Pekoe is for us, a grade of tea leaves, it does not refer to a kind of tea.