Qimen Maofeng

In the hills where Qimen’s morning mists drift low and patient over the fields, this Maofeng is finished in the most elemental way possible: over real fire. Not charcoal embers, not electric warmth—actual flame. Direct-heat firing means the wok sits above a living firewood blaze, the heat rising in quicksilver pulses as the farmer stirs and folds each leaf by hand. The result is a tea that carries a subtle imprint of that rustic intensity: a whisper of the hearth, the feeling of standing near a wood-fueled stove on an autumn morning.

The cup opens with the deep sweetness of raisins, shifting into the buttery grain of shortbread, and finishing with the gentle orchard warmth of baked apple. Rather than smokiness, the firewood roasting lends a round, toasted glow that frames the tea’s natural fruitiness. This black tea shaped by fire, hands, and patience gives a taste of Qimen’s craft at its most traditional.

Written by Dominik