Jackee Muntz

What can I say, I like em tall, dark, and handsome. Oh so hot and steamy, Mr. Muntz you’re making me blush.
I was talking about this tea to my mother, and she had to stop me to make sure I wasn’t going to get pregnant. Once I clarified I was talking about tea, she hung up on me. Granted she doesn’t know I like them petite, fair, and womanly, she knows she can’t get grandkids from a tea.
Seriously, this tea has totally shown me the light of how perfect tea can be. Its burnt-carmel flavor and that oh so smokey smell really makes everything with the world once again. I finally figured out malty and why people like smokey tea, which sounded odd to my novice ears. I think I might have accidentally over steeped it at one point, but found that it hadn’t become bitter. Very smooth and bold with rich full bodied flavor. And a hot one at that.
I hope this tea never runs out, or I will cry. A lot.

Smoky!!! Peaty!!!! My husband said that it tastes like Laphroaig scotch, and I have to agree! I began thinking it a bit overwhelming, but by the end of my cup, it really grew on me. I am curious to try it mixed one teaspoon Jackee Muntz one teaspoon Thomas Sampson to make a killer English Breakfast type blend for 16 oz of water.

I did another steep(at 4:30) and it tastes like butterscotch! I prefer the second one, my husband says he loves both! Either way, I think this one is good for when you are in the mood for something heavy, or in the mood for multiple steeps with a black tea. I would also like to try a first steep at 3:45/190 degrees for bake-y :)

Oh and my husband says he gives this tea an 88. :)

Jackee and his compadre Thomas arrived chez Ca’ dei Gatti late yesterday afternoon. My first morning choice was Jackee. I had read the reviews and the mention of “smoke” enthralled me. I love “smoke” when it comes to perfumes, teas, salmon, prunes, paprika, nuts, and scotch. “Smoke” has got to walk a thin line between enhancing and highlighting that which is smoked and overwhelming it.

Jackee Muntz is a fine, rich, deep tea with a smoke that does manage to evoke the burnt sugary taste of caramel—but I liked to linger on the smokiness. I thought of an excellent poem I read recently called “Shopping List” by Anna Adams. The premise is that “all of life /
is hinted at on strips of scrap”. The imaginative mind can take a simple shopping list and go places—dig deeply like an anthropologist or archeologist.

“Cornfields come with the brown bread rolls,
orchards with apples, and the sea
heaves, vast, around the herring shoals,
and China swims in Lapsang Souchong tea.”

A tea that wakes me up, makes me think of poetry, and which unfolds layers of taste and meaning is a great one. I’ve already re-ordered.

I need to become a serious Buddhist to cope with all of the limited edition teas I’ve fallen in love with. I’ve wept buckets when books and perfumes go out of print, Jackee, my man, you’ve reversed the ill-effects of a bad night of sleep.

I decided to revisit Jackee this morning to see if I could achieve caramel bliss. But, I thought, even if I couldn’t, I could definitely use the wake-up kick I got last time! Getting up at 5:30am is so hard. :cries:

I used considerably less leaf than I did last time – about half the amount I usually use. (I couldn’t tell you exactly how much that is, because everything is just an estimation, haha.)

It’s gotten a lot smoother this time. When it was still piping hot, the smokiness was still there with strength, but it’s fading a little bit as the tea cools, and I’m getting a little burnt sugar hint. I’m definitely closer to caramel with this cup, but still haven’t gotten it. Maybe my start temp isn’t high enough. I’ll have to try at home, where I actually have control over how hot the water gets. Or maybe I should heat my mug first, so I don’t lose water temperature when I fill it. Oh, the many many things I could try.

But I gotta say, smokiness is a good waking-up tool, so I’m happy about that. :)

This is a comparison tasting against Keemun Concerto and Keemun Encore; see further notes here http://steepster.com/Tea_Bird/posts/36237 and http://steepster.com/Tea_Bird/posts/36241

The strongest color (barely, Encore is close) and the strongest aroma of the three, though it isn’t as smoky as Encore. Sipping Jackee first: strong, slightly sweet, slightly astringent, smokiness lingers in the mouth and throat, but in a sweet rather than harsh way. I feel like I need a palate cleanser. PB&J will have to do.

Jackee tastes bolder (for both better and worse) after Encore; richer and more complex after Concerto. More smoke comes out as it cools. No caramel, for those who follow that saga – my water was probably too hot for that.

Jackee’s complexity is still quite present through the milk. I can see why he’s a champion, and I’ll miss him when he’s gone.

Round 2 shows more of how special Jackee is, though; he held up much better to a second steep. Color is still a warm reddish gold (compared to the amber of Concerto and Encore). Flavor is still bold, though not nearly as much as on the first steep, but also sweeter and more approachable.

This has set the bar for quality Keemun, for me, and I would likely buy more over time if it were available. Since it’s not, I’ll just have to keep looking for another tea with Jackee’s complexity and endurance, and enjoy my Concerto in the mean time.

I gave this another try after Takgoti’s temp/time/cooling suggestions and she’s right! You do get caramel! I tried this at 200 and 180-degrees as well. If the water’s too hot you lose it and if it’s too cold it there, kind of, but it tastes like wet newspaper.

There’s still something off about this keemun to me and if I really wanted caramel tones, there are other teas I’d go to before this one. Maybe just I’m just not a fan of the smoky/burnt sugar taste that others have mentioned. Still, I’m bumping my rating for Jackee up a few ticks.

Hmm… Still searching for the caramel…. I think last time I made this I used way too much leaf, over-steeped it, and at a temp that was too high. This time I used only about 1 – 1.5 tsp of leaf, steeped it for 3:45 at about 195-200….

This brew still wasn’t caramel tasting, but definitely I was able to notice very very slight undertones of burn sugar when I started to get towards the bottom of my mug.

Still going to leave it unrated until I can experiment more…..

So far, I’m not a fan. However, after reading others’ tasting notes, I realize that maybe I messed up in the steeping/water prep/or something. This, apparently, is not a tea to be made in the office. It is one that will make use of my tea trappings at home.

So, I’m refraining from giving a number rating. I’m sure the problem is all me.

The thing is, though, that immediately upon adding water, I got an unbelievable scent of lapsang souchong. I am really not a fan of lapsang souchong. I’m sure part of it is that I haven’t ever had a good one, but it’s also that I don’t like smoke. And since there was a hint of that smell, it immediately went in that category for me, and no matter what I couldn’t get past just the tiniest bit at a time.

So I’m not finishing this mug. I’m going to take the tea back to my house, and try it there once I can control the variables a bit better. I want this to be the amazing tea I’ve read so much about!!

This tea has a wonderful aroma to it, a beautiful golden brown color, and a pleasant, earthy/smokey flavor. 10/10 boxers agree, this is a Damn Fine Tea!

Aha! It does have a burnt sugar/caramel flavor. I could never place it before.