Keemun comes from Qimen county in Anhui and is the tea that gave English breakfast blends their shape. Hao Ya is the top sorting, tightly twisted and almost black, and it brews a clear red cup with cocoa up front, a thread of smoke behind it and the dry finish that gets described as wine-like. It is smooth enough to drink on its own and sturdy enough to take milk. Four minutes at just under boiling gets the cocoa without pulling the smoke too far forward.
Picked at the very start of the Darjeeling season. The cup is pale and light-bodied with a muscatel edge. Best drunk without milk, early in the day.
A full-bodied Assam built for the first cup of the day. Malty and brisk, with enough backbone to take milk. It is also the base most chai recipes ask for.
Rolled entirely from golden buds rather than leaf. The cup is smooth, honey-sweet and barely bitter. A gentle black tea for anyone who finds Assam too blunt.
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