what is authentic keemun

In china,tea drinkers always like to judge whether the tea they are drinking is authentic or not. What is authentic? Why some chinese gourmet tea is much better than others?To many western tea drinkers, the idea of authenticity is foreign. Quality is quality. Does it really matter where it is produced?Yes, it does. After all, tea is the by-product of the soil, water, air and light that sustain and nourish it.
In Keemun county,tea garden is scattered over the mountainous area which is covered by forest. In this area, there is sufficient rainfall and the atmospheric temperature is lower with higher humidity. One of the essential factors for good black tea is mellow taste. This taste originats from amino acid found in tea leaf, named as theanine. Young buds contain high level of theanine and when tea leaves receive sun light, theanine converts into polyphenol such as catechins. At high elevation, tea-planting area is often covered by fog which blocks the direct sun light on tea leaves. Consequently, tea leaves are very rich in theanine as the conversion to polyphenol is not effectively taking place. This is the first reason for Keemun being long-lasting fragrant and non-astringent but mellow.
The second reason for that is because of the cultivar of keemun tea plant named 槠叶种 (Zhu-ye-zhong). This is the only tea leaf in which an essential oil called myrcenal is found -- it also occurs in oil of Bay. At the same time it contains a high level of another substance called geraniol ,one of the main aromatic elements existing in tea leaves.The content of geraniol in the keemun tea leaves is 40 to 100 times higher than that of ordinary tea subvarieties.The two elements ,to a large extent,give keemun tea indescribable sweetness and aroma like a dried black rose, I think -- less poetic friends are reminded of toast hot from the oven.
The last reason of the keemun fragrance should be ascribed to the people who have been being dedicated to the tea production.This is a line involving much know-hows,skills,experience and sensory judgements which is gained by talent and through diligence and persistence.
All Keemun is distinctive and much of it produced in Keemun County is superior. Then you discover Keemun Mao Feng and Keemun Hao Ya, which are simply superb-perfectly formed leaf with taste as delicate as bird song. Keemun Mao Feng and Keemun Hao Ya features fine taut strips without breaking leaves so Keemun is also known as one of the congou-type teas; meaning its production requires a great deal of gongfu (disciplined skill).Their unique keemun flavors are so nuanced and layered that one feels adding milk or sugar would be sacrilegious, faint praise impossible. Both of them are handmade in orthodox processing ways resulting in low output.(of couse another reason is that Keemun is produced in a relatively small area confined in Keemun County and its neighboring area.).