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Additional notes:   Tea #7 in my Teavivre keemun test. Hmm, so far this is the lightest one, therefore not my favorite.  It hardly even has any of the keemun flavor notes.  If anything it has a slight bakey, sweet flavor, almost like a cookie.  The look of the dry leaf is gorgeous though: pitch black shiny leaves with hints of gold throughout, slow to unravel.   The leaf definitely looks different than the Superfine Keemun Mao Feng, which is smaller and has more of the golden fuzzies in the package.  Doing the math between the 50gram/100 gram prices, this is actually the most expensive keemun that Teavivre carries, and probably my least favorite, as it isn’t very distinct at all.  Keep in mind, I’m steeping this two years after the harvest date, so it could have been more distinct while it was fresher, but the other keemuns seem to be holding up well enough.  Also, as I have steeped all of these Western, they could be better steeping them with other methods.  The second steep thankfully blooms into more flavor, but again, nothing I would notice as distinctly higher quality.  The flavor takes more of a traditional keemun profile, with a hint of dark fruit on the back sip.  But I’d prefer even the Grade 2 over this one.  I’m not picky, and Teavivre’s lowest quality teas are probably other tea shops higher quality teas.  At least when I’m steeping up the lower priced teas, I don’t have to question if I’m steeping them incorrectly.  Now the rating might be 78.
Steep #1  // 1 1/2 teaspoon for full mug // 20 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  //  just boiled //  3 min steep
Harvest: 2018

*OVERALL for the keemun test: * Yeah, these harvests seemed very different from past harvests.  But really the ratings only shifted a few points and I think the keemuns stayed stable in my rankings from past harvests, even if they are considerably tasting different now. The Imperial was the biggest decrease in rating. None of them had any smoky characteristics and a lot less chocolate notes when I LAST did a side by side comparison six years ago (oh my gosh, I can’t believe that was six years ago.)  In order of preference, I would say it’s Grade 1 & Premium Keemun Hao Ya which are so similar to me I can hardly tell there is a difference in flavor.  The Grade 2 & Aromatic Snail are tied for second place, depending if I’m in the mood for strong flavor or a more delicate flavor. Though I do admire the basil fragrance of the Aromatic Snail. The three higher quality Keemuns probably taste better when they aren’t steeped Western.  But try them all yourself — find the one you like best!  Also, this tasting note dump just put me over 3,000 tasting notes! Woohoo.

Additional notes:  I think this one was once considered Organic?  The site and the packaging no longer calls it organic.  It’s also very comparable in price to the Superfine Keemun Mao Feng.  The leaves here seem slightly bigger than the Superfine Mao Feng.  Also less of the fuzzies and more black overall, less gold, but still not that shiny black I associate with a keemun leaf.   The fragrance of the dry leaf is not noticeably “fragrant” enough to name it that.  But somehow the first steep is tangy like I mentioned the Superfine Mao Feng being very tangy on the second steep.  The flavor is like mixing summer squash with some sort of fruit — the only thing I can think of, having tasted it from a Butiki tea, would be tamarind!  I really don’t think stocking up on both this one and the Superfine Mao Feng is necessary, as they are the most similar and I can’t really tell the flavor apart.   The second steep gets a tad bitter, which is surprising.  None of these other keemuns were ever bitter.  In the lingering tail end of the sip, it tastes like raspberries or blackberries with a hint of dark chocolate.  Then I realize none of these have really tasted like chocolate at all. The rating now would probably be 88.
Steep #1  // 1 1/2 teaspoon for full mug // 20 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  //  just boiled //  3 min steep
Harvest: 2018

Additional notes:  Another light keemun which might taste better when it isn’t Western brewed.  I’d love to see someone review these side by side while not brewing them Western.  The leaves unravel quickly.  The flavor could almost be more like Yunnan, and the leaves even have the fuzzies that I usually associate more with Yunnan, instead of the slick shiny black of what I expect from Keemun.  The flavor is the lightest sweet potato.  VERY sweet and mineral tasting, probably more than the other keemuns here.  BUT THEN the second steep is insanely tangy, for some reason, more so than any black tea than I’ve ever had.  It’s very odd that this happened when I described the first steep as so sweet. The rating now would probably be 90.
Steep #1  // 1 1/2 teaspoon for full mug // 20 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  //  just boiled //  3 min steep
Harvest: 2018

Additional notes: The fourth in the keemun test.  This is where the flavor gets much lighter after the others are so dark and deep.  Though the leaves here look fierce: bigger, longer, twistier, shinier.  The dry leaves have such a sweet scent but the steeped leaves are tomato & BASIL which I’m really digging!  Here is where the flavor profile seems to veer off from what I think keemun typically tastes like.  It tastes a lot like Teavivre’s Nonpareil Yunnan Dian Hong Ancient Wild Tree but much less distinct than that one.  Rating would probably be 87 now.
Steep #1  // 1 1/2 teaspoon for full mug // 20 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  //  just boiled //  3 min steep
Harvest: 2018

Additional notes: The third in my keemun test!  The dry leaves have even sweeter of a dried hay scent than Keemun Grade One.   I’m glad to see the leaves are still very tiny, as it seemed like the newer Teavivre’s harvest have larger leaf, which to me, means lighter in flavor.  This one has a very lovely lingering aftertaste.  But otherwise, it’s very very close to Grade One.  I can hardly tell them apart.
Steep #1  // 1 1/2 teaspoon for full mug // 20 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  //  just boiled //  3 min steep
Harvest: 2018

Additional notes: This is the second in my Teavivre keemun test.  It’s a tough one to pick apart, so this note might be pointless.. A dried hay scent to the dry leaf.  Another that screams KEEMUN to me.  It has all the flavor notes that I think a keemun should typically have.  It’s difficult for me to describe but very distinctly keemun.  The first steep seemed to have an off flavor, but I don’t think I’ve ever waited 20 minutes for the water to cool.  I think I would usually wait 10-15 minutes in the past. BUT waiting 20 minutes means the second steep is usually even more fantastic.  The off flavor disappeared in the second steep.  Very delicious, strong, very wine like.  I’m realizing now that the first three keemuns probably don’t need 1 1/2 teaspoons because the leaves are so small, but for past harvests, I would even use two teaspoons.  The second steep is a touch too bitey while retaining all the strong keemun characteristics.  Rating now would probably be around 93.
Steep #1  // 1 1/2 teaspoon for full mug // 20 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  //  just boiled //  3 min steep
Harvest: 2018

Additional notes: So I bought samples of most of Teavivre’s black teas a while ago due to an awesome sale. I’ve been trying these over a while, stocking up tasting notes to post them all at once.  I HAD been meaning to try them fresher (these are 2018 harvest) so take these tasting notes with a grain of salt depending on how fresh you think these samples are.  If anything, they are all still sealed.  I’m aimed for all the same parameters.Starting with the “lowest” quality, but for many tea shops this would be a very high quality keemun!  The flavor certainly screams keemun – all the keemun characteristics are there.  It’s very sweet with that wine-like flavor that keemuns seem to most have out of any black tea.  But the first steep also has a note that does say it’s lower quality, like a woody flavor, but the second steep really becomes something else and it’s REALLY good which is surprising for a second steep!  Maybe it’s waiting for 20 minutes (which I don’t usually wait that long but I really liked a black tea I had the other day after waiting 20+ minutes).  But usually the reverse is true – that the second steep gets that sort of overbrewed woody flavor.  Not with this one!  This is just a very strong standard keemun.  And I like keemun strong.
Steep #1  // 1 1/2 teaspoon for full mug // 20 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  //  just boiled //  3 min steep
Harvest: 2018

Thanks very much, SkySamurai!  This was shipped here well before the teabox.  I’m still working on the pre-teabox package!  I steeped this a couple days ago but bungled purely everything in every steep so HAD to try it again.  Now it’s much better. I even forgot the rinse last time and I saw tiny particles in the rinse, which seems odd for this type of oolong.  I love a good Baozhong.  The dry leaves have a great sweet creamy scent which is also what it tastes like!  Though the brew is still VERY yellow in color which I guess is why I thought I had bungled it in the first place, but I guess this is the color it should be!  The flavors are tough to piece together, they seem very one note, which is surprising to me for a Wenshan Baozhong.  Mellow, sweet, minerals, creamy.  And very very consistent but not as complex as I’d wish for a Baozhong.
Steep #1  // 1 heaping teaspoon for full mug // rinse // 28 minutes after boiling  // 1 minute steep
Steep #2  // 16 minutes after boiling //  1 1/2 min
Steep #3 // 18 minutes after boiling // 2 min

Another tea from the little sampler stack I bought from Davids sale.  I was looking forward to this one, but the stevia is unbearable, especially after eating a deluxe Pretzel, butterscotch, toffee, chocolate chip cookie I made.  That was already loaded with sugar.  (I was trying to use some of the slightly expired ingredients around here… while following a recipe.)  I wish I could send some cookies to all of you!  But really this tea is mostly just stevia with a hint of chocolate, so I’m a bit annoyed with this blend.  I was craving a nice thick, dark, chocolate tea.  No stevia. The second steep, the stevia is mostly faded so it’s more of a hot chocolate, especially when I get to the bottom of the mug with melted chocolate… though it looked like when I cleaned the infuser that a chocolate chip barely melted!   I never really noticed that this was a pu-erh blend. I’m realizing I have quite a few Davids blends to drink down quick because they have stevia and stevia only gets worse with time.  At least this one didn’t have that alcohol chocolate flavor. I’m wavering on the rating because the first steep is gross, but the second steep is better.
Steep #1  // 1 1/5 teaspoons for full mug // 18 minutes after boiling  // 3 minute steep
Steep #2  // 3 minutes after boiling //  5 min
Beauteous helpful song for the day: Jonathan Wilson – ’69 Corvette  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGyg7pvkhOw

This was from a little sampler stack I bought from the Davids sale!  Sometimes I’m happy with simply enough tea for 2-3 servings.  I just want to try it!  This blend is full of sugary goodies.  At least three kinds of sugary goodies… and that is what it tastes like.  The brew is one of the muddiest brews I’ve ever seen.  And it certainly tastes like liquid candy canes… with a hint of stevia.  I like it, but I could do without the stevia.  Can you even make candy canes with stevia?  I don’t think I’d eat them.  The second steep looks just as muddy, even though it looked like the ingredients had all dissolved in the first steep.  But it was a much lighter color of mud this time around.  The description calls this a “rich” black tea, but I’d hardly call it “rich”.  Throwing half a candy cane to melt in a good black tea works just as well.
Steep #1  // 1 1/3 teaspoons for full mug // 20 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  // 3 minutes after boiling //  5 min