Compare two teas
Side by side across seven dimensions. There is no verdict and no winner — the purpose is to understand the difference, not to be told which to buy.
TeaHQ has written about this pair
A single-origin tea and a scented blend are bought for different reasons, and judging one by the other’s standards produces bad conclusions in both directions.
- What it is
- Keemun: A single-origin black tea from Qimen county in Anhui, sold under its own name with its own character.Earl Grey: A recipe: black tea of unspecified origin scented with bergamot oil. The base can be anything.
- Where the flavour comes from
- Keemun: The leaf, the cultivar and the processing. Cocoa, pine and dried plum are the tea’s own.Earl Grey: Added bergamot, which leads. The quality of the oil matters at least as much as the quality of the tea beneath it.
- Consistency
- Keemun: Varies by producer, harvest and year. That variation is part of what is being bought.Earl Grey: Engineered to be consistent, but only within one packer’s version — two brands may share nothing.
- Brewing
- Keemun: 90 to 95 °C, three minutes; also rewards gongfu brewing.Earl Grey: 95 to 100 °C, three minutes. Over-steeping pushes bergamot towards soapiness rather than making it stronger.
- Who may prefer each
- Keemun: Anyone wanting to taste a place and a process, and willing to accept year-to-year variation.Earl Grey: Anyone wanting a reliable, distinctive cup where the flavour is the point rather than the provenance.
In summary: Neither is a compromised version of the other. Flavoured blends are frequently dismissed in speciality writing, and the honest criticism is narrower than that: a poor blend hides poor leaf, and a good one does not pretend the leaf is the point.
Point by point
| Dimension | Keemun | Earl Grey |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Black tea · fully oxidised | Black tea · fully oxidised |
| Production | In order: Withering → Rolling and shaping → Oxidation → Drying. bud and two leaves and spring harvest. | In order: Withering → Rolling and shaping → Oxidation → Drying. |
| Origin | China — Qimen | Not recorded for this tea. Blends have components rather than a place. |
| Flavour | chocolate, woody and smoky. medium and smooth in the mouth. Aroma: cocoa, pine, dried plum, orchid. Layered in character. Moderate in intensity. | citrus and floral. medium and drying in the mouth. Aroma: bergamot, citrus peel, malt. Straightforward in character. Moderate in intensity. |
| Brewing | Western brewing (teapot or mug): 1–1.5 g/100 ml at 90–95 °C, first steep 180s. Gongfu brewing (gaiwan): 4–5 g/100 ml at 90–95 °C, first steep 10s of 5 authored. Mug infuser brewing: 1–1.5 g/100 ml at 95–101 °C, first steep 180s. | Western brewing (teapot or mug): 1–1.5 g/100 ml at 95–100 °C, first steep 180s. Mug infuser brewing: 1–1.5 g/100 ml at 95–101 °C, first steep 180s. Tea bag brewing: 1–1.5 g/100 ml at 95–100 °C, first steep 150s. |
| Cultural context | Not recorded for this tea. | Used in Afternoon tea. Countless variations exist — cream, lavender, blue-flower, extra-bergamot, and green or oolong bases. None is more authentic than another, since there was never a standard to depart from. There is no protected definition and no standard base. Natural bergamot oil and synthetic bergamot flavouring produce noticeably different results, and the packet will usually say which is used if it is the former. |
| Who may prefer it | Someone who wants presence without being dominated and wants to enjoy it on the first cup. It tolerates an imprecise brew. | Someone who wants presence without being dominated and wants to enjoy it on the first cup. It tolerates an imprecise brew. |
Nothing above is a recommendation. The last row describes the drinker each tea suits, using each tea’s own authored fields and the same sentence structure for both, so neither can be framed as the safe choice.