春茶 (清明至谷雨)
Apr 1 – May 5
Prime spring picking (one bud with one to three leaves) for Qimen Gongfu and Qimen Ancha.
祁门祁門
Qimen
Mountainous county in southern Anhui (Huangshan prefecture), historic production centre of Qimen Gongfu black tea and basket-pressed Qimen Ancha dark tea.
- Level
- County
- Within
- Anhui
At a glance#
Location
- Garden elevation
- Core歷口 (Likou), 闪里 (Shanli), and 凫峰 (Fufeng) valleys sit at 200–700 m on the southern flank of the Huangshan range.
Where it lies#
Tea places nearby, plotted by their coordinates. Only physical positions are shown, no boundaries.
64 places shown Across the view · 474 km
22 places shown Across the view · 103 km
Altitude#
Garden elevations here and in neighbouring places, as sourced.
Picking calendar#
Terroir#
- Rock
- Phyllite, slate, granite, and red sandstone dissected by the Changjiang, Lüjiang, andChongjiang rivers.
- Soil
- Acidic red-yellow gravelly clay-loam (红黄壤) derived from weathered phyllite and granite, pH 4.5–5.5.
- Slope and light
- Over 80% forest cover creates shaded, mist-filled canyons where elevated geraniol synthesis gives Qimen Zhuye leaf its signature rose-and-orchid "Keemun aroma" (祁门香).
Cultivation#
- Cultivars grown
- Qimen Zhuye populationQiyun
- Landraces
- Qimen Zhuye population (祁门槠叶种, GS13004-1985), celebrated for high geraniol and linalool content.
- Practice
- Refined 17-step strip-black-tea grading and sifting (精制工夫) for Qimen Gongfu; sun-withering, night-dewing (夜露), and bamboo-basket compression for Qimen Ancha.
Local words#
| Local words | Dialect | |
|---|---|---|
| 祁门香 Pinyin: qímén xiāng | Huizhou (Qimen) | Classic Huizhou and international tea-trade expression for the signature rose, dried-plum, and orchid aroma profile unique to Qimen Gongfu black tea. |
People#
- Southern Huizhou Qimen tea growers, sieve-graders and Ancha basket-pressers 祁门茶农、精制筛分师与安茶紧压匠人
- Qimen artisans combined local Zhuye leaf cultivation with intricate multi-sieve gongfu black-tea refining and bamboo-basket dark-tea curing for maritime and inland trade.
Market#
- Primary trade channel
- Primary red maocha from village stations is refined, sifted, and blended by Qimen county tea factories for export and domestic specialty sale, while basket-pressed Ancha moves to Guangdong and Southeast Asian buyers.
- Trading towns
- Qimen (Qishan) · Likou · Shanli
- Output
- Qimen's mountain valleys produce spring Qimen Gongfu black tea from the local Zhuye population variety alongside autumn basket-pressed Qimen Ancha dark tea in Shanli and Luxi.
- Prices of teas claiming this origin
- For Qimen Gongfu, pricing depends on early-spring fine-bud grades (such as HaoYa A and B), core Likou and Gusuxi valley terroir, and multi-stage sifting and congou refining; for Ancha, multi-year dry aging drives value.
History#
- 1720Sun Yishun tea house in Shanli (Qimen) begins pressing basket-aged Qimen Ancha for the Lingnan and Southeast Asian trade.
- 1875Hu Yuanlong at Guixi in Qimen establishes red-tea workshops, launching Qimen Gongfu.
- 1915Qimen black tea wins top honours at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition.
Notes#
Identity and history#
Tucked into the southern foothills of the Huangshan range along the Changjiang River headwaters in southern Anhui, Qimen County features red-yellow forest soils, dense mist, and narrow diurnal temperature ranges. Historically a green-tea district, the county transitioned in the late nineteenth century to become the protected origin of Qimen Gongfu black tea, whose native Zhuye population cultivar generates the celebrated Keemun aroma combining rose, honey, and pine-smoke notes through meticulous sifting and grading. The county also preserves the heritage craft of Qimen Ancha, a sun-withered, night-dewed, basket-pressed dark tea aged for southern Cantonese and Southeast Asian trade.
Prices of teas claiming this origin#
International retail
Show as table
| Product | Vendor | Channel | per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keemun Gong Fu Black Tea | In the Mood for Tea | International retail | $13.11 |
| Keemun Maofeng Black Tea | In the Mood for Tea | International retail | $17.14 |
| Keemun Hao Ya Black Tea | TeaVivre | International retail | $20.27 |
| Keemun Imperial Black Tea | TeaVivre | International retail | $30.00 |
| Keemun Spring Fragrance Black Tea | In the Mood for Tea | International retail | $30.05 |
| Keemun Mao Feng Black Tea | Bestitea | International retail | $42.14 |
Listings claiming this origin 6#
Price ranks compare recorded retail offers for the same tea, including offers outside the current delivery filter. Shipping and import charges are excluded.
Prices compared in the selected currency; unknown values appear last.
| Product | Vendor | Price | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
Keemun Gong Fu Black Tea
Details and price notesCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
50 g pack at SEK 65; 100 g (SEK 119) and 200 g (SEK 235) also available |
In the Mood for TeaSelected destinations |
SEK 65.00 / 50 g | $13.11 SEK 130.00 / 100 g |
Keemun Maofeng Black Tea
Details and price notesCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
50 g pack at SEK 85; 100 g (SEK 169) and 200 g (SEK 329) also available |
In the Mood for TeaSelected destinations |
SEK 85.00 / 50 g | $17.14 SEK 170.00 / 100 g |
Keemun Hao Ya Black Tea
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
TeaVivreWorldwide |
$22.90 / 113 g | $20.27 |
| Keemun Imperial Black Tea | TeaVivreWorldwide |
$33.90 / 113 g | $30.00 |
Keemun Spring Fragrance Black Tea
Details and price notesCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
50 g pack at SEK 149; 100 g (SEK 289) and 200 g (SEK 569) also available |
In the Mood for TeaSelected destinations |
SEK 149.00 / 50 g | $30.05 SEK 298.00 / 100 g |
Keemun Mao Feng Black Tea
Details and price notesCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
Base Sample 14g (0.5oz) option at USD 5.90; 50g, 100g, 200g, and 500g options available |
BestiteaSelected destinations |
$5.90 / 14 g | $42.14 |
Prices recorded on the dates checked. Conversions use ECB rates dated 2026-10-20; original prices appear alongside. Origin, age and cultivar are stated by the vendor.
Teas associated with this place#
Sources#
- 王镇恒、王广智主编. 中国名茶志. 中国农业出版社, 2000年12月第1版. ISBN 7-109-06510-3 / 9787109065109.
- 中国茶树品种志 (2001)