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.
$28.00
- Tea Origin
- Qimen County, Anhui Province, China
- Tea Bush
- Qimen Xiaochuyezhong (Qimen Small Leaf Tea Bush)
- Harvest Time
- April 20th, 2024
- 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 early Gu Yu spring season in mid-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.
