Qimen Zongzi (Bamboo Keemun)
Black Tea 2024
A bundle of early spring Keemun black tea wrapped in a fresh bamboo leaf to resemble the zongzi rice dumplings traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival in June. A sweet seasonal treat. Hot or cold, these miniature dumplings make an airy brew with classic Keemun florals, fruit-sweet like stewed peaches and balanced with the refreshing cool and woody taste of bamboo.
$19.75
- Tea Origin
- Qimen County, Anhui Province, China
- Tea Bush
- Qimen Xiaochuyezhong (Qimen Small Leaf Tea Bush)
- Harvest Time
- Late April
- Plucking Standard
- One bud, two leaves
This little tea dumpling is a seasonal treat made for the Dragon Boat Festival in mid-June. Rice-filled zongzi dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves are the traditional snack during the festival. These tea-filled mini zongzi brew up either hot or cold as a perfect companion for feasting. The infusion is both richly flavored with aromatic Qimen black tea from the Gu Yu spring season in mid to late April, and delightfully refreshing with the cool flavor of the bamboo leaf. A perfect summer tea.
To make these tea zongzi, about 5 grams of finished black tea leaves get wrapped by hand in a fresh leaf from the Giant Leaf Bamboo plant, 箬竹 or Indocalamus tessellatus. The bundles are then roasted at very low heat, about 80°C (176°F) for about 20 minutes to dry.
