Black Tea — Keemun
Qimen Hongcha Cooperative
祁門紅茶 · Qímén Hóngchá
A Qimen County collective working the mountain plots where Keemun black tea was invented in 1875 — one of the few Chinese teas with a known creator, a known date and an unbroken line of production.
What they're known for
- ▸ Keemun (祁門紅茶) was invented in 1875 by Yu Ganchen — a former civil servant who adapted local green tea processing into full oxidation.
- ▸ Within twenty years it was appearing in European premium blends under the name 'Keemun'.
- ▸ The tea carries a natural compound aroma — qihong xiang — described as floral, fruity and faintly winey, unique to this region.
- ▸ Keemun holds China's National Geographical Indication (GI) protection: genuine Qimen County only.
Keemun black tea (祁門紅茶, Qímén Hóngchá) was invented in 1875 by Yu Ganchen, a former civil servant from Qimen County who adapted the local green tea tradition into a fully oxidised leaf. Within twenty years, Keemun was appearing in European premium blends and drawing comparisons to Burgundy wine for its regional complexity.
What makes Qimen County irreplaceable is qihong xiang — the compound natural fragrance unique to this mountain valley: floral and rose-like on the nose, stone fruit in the cup, with a faint winey character that no other black tea region replicates. The terroir — steep hillsides, acid red soil, persistent morning mist, moderate humidity — creates the conditions; the processing does the rest. Small wiry leaves are withered, rolled, oxidised and dried slowly through multiple stages, developing the aroma at each step.
Keemun holds China's National Geographical Indication: the name can only be used for tea from Qimen County. The Cooperative works with multiple small-plot families across the county's best production villages, sorting and blending to produce a consistent grade profile season to season.
Teas from Qimen Hongcha Cooperative
祁門紅茶 Keemun
2025 · Qimen Hongcha Cooperative 2025 · Qimen Hongcha Cooperative · Qimen County, Anhui Province
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