Jin Jun Mei vs Keemun

Jin Jun Mei

Jin Jun Mei is a modern luxury black tea from the Wuyi mountains, made only from tiny spring buds. The cup is exceptionally refined: honey and sweet potato up front, a clear floral lift, and a silky, lingering finish with almost no astringency. It is sweeter and more delicate than most Chinese black teas, and its bud-only picking makes it one of the most expensive everyday-drinking black teas in China. Created in 2005, it quickly became a benchmark for high-end red tea.

Keemun

Keemun is China's most famous black tea, from Qimen county in Anhui. The cup is smooth and refined: cocoa and dark stone fruit up front, a hint of orchid florals, and a long, sweet finish with gentle smoke. It is lighter in body than Assam but more aromatic, and it forms the base of traditional English Breakfast blends.

Jin Jun Mei

Water temperature

90–95°C

Leaf to water

3g / 250ml

Steep time

3–4 min

Re-steep

1–2 times

Keemun

Water temperature

90–95°C

Leaf to water

3g / 250ml

Steep time

3–4 min

Re-steep

1–2 times

Jin Jun Mei

Medium caffeine — roughly 30–55 mg per brewed serving

A moderate, steady lift without an intense spike.

Keemun

Medium caffeine — roughly 35–60 mg per brewed serving

A moderate, steady lift without an intense spike.

Jin Jun Mei

China · Fujian (Wuyi)

Jin Jun Mei originated in Tongmu village, Wuyi mountains, Fujian.

Keemun

China · Anhui

Qimen county in southern Anhui has produced Keemun since the 1870s.