Taft Museum of Art Black Tea

An elegant Churchill’s exclusive artisan blend of organic Keemun from Anhui, China, and Kenilworth Estate Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka—layering wine-like depth, weathered oak, subtle malt, and naturally occurring chocolate undertones.

The Experience

Taft Museum of Art Black Tea is a Churchill’s artisan blend created for the Taft Museum of Art, bringing together two distinguished black teas with very different origins and personalities.

The Chinese component is an organic Keemun, a traditional black tea from Anhui Province sometimes described as the “Bordeaux of Tea” for its complex, wine-like character. It contributes aromatic depth, notes of weathered wood, and the naturally dark cocoa-like qualities for which fine Keemun is prized.

Balancing it is Kenilworth Estate Orange Pekoe from Sri Lanka, a smooth, full-bodied Ceylon tea known for its strength and bright malty finish. Its subtle oak character complements the darker Keemun beautifully.

Together, the two teas create a cup that is full-bodied yet polished, with wine, oak, malt, and chocolate-like notes emerging entirely from the leaves themselves.

Tasting Notes

Top: Wine-like aromatics • Weathered oak
Mid: Subtle malt • Dark cocoa
Finish: Bright • Smooth • Lingering
Body: Full

Why You’ll Love It

• A Churchill’s Artisan House blend created for the Taft Museum of Art
• Combines two distinctive tea traditions: Chinese Keemun + Ceylon estate tea
• Naturally wine-like, oaky, malty, and chocolate-toned
• Full-bodied enough for breakfast but nuanced enough for contemplative sipping
• No added flavors—all tasting notes come naturally from the teas
• An excellent tea for discovering how expert blending can create complexity using pure leaves alone

Origin, Grade & Ingredients

Tea Type: Pure Black Tea Blend
Keemun: Special Keemun Orthodox • Panda Grade #1 • Anhui Province, China • Certified Organic by Pro-Cert Organic Systems; Elevation: 1,000 - 1,500m (~3,300 - 5,000ft)
Ceylon: Orthodox Kenilworth Estate • OP (Orange Pekoe) • Sri Lanka; Elevation: 2,000 - 2,500m (~6,500 - 8,200ft)
Origins: China & Sri Lanka
Ingredients: Black tea
Added Flavoring: None
Caffeine: Yes
Body: Full

How to Brew

Use 1 heaping teaspoon with The Perfect Measure Spoon per 8 oz / 237 ml of water at 212°F / 100°C.

Mild: 2–3 minutes
Medium: 4–5 minutes
Strong: 6–7 minutes

For your first cup, we recommend approximately 3–4 minutes and no milk. This allows the wine-like Keemun, oak, malt, and subtle cocoa character to remain distinct. For a more traditional breakfast-style cup, steep a little longer and add a splash of milk. Kenilworth provides enough body to carry it beautifully.

Perfect For

A sophisticated choice for quiet mornings, afternoon tea, museum visits and gatherings, book clubs, or anyone who enjoys discovering naturally complex flavors in pure black tea. Pair it with dark chocolate, shortbread, toasted nuts, aged cheese, scones, or buttery pastries.

A Cincinnati Blend Inspired by Art

A tea created for an art museum calls for something more thoughtful than a single dominant flavor. For the Taft Museum of Art blend, the artistry is in the composition: two pure teas from two celebrated tea-producing traditions, selected because their individual characteristics become more interesting when placed together.

Like looking closely at a painting, you can enjoy the whole composition first and examine the individual elements afterward. Taste the blend. Then taste its components separately. 

You may begin to recognize Keemun's darker aromatic character on one side and Kenilworth's brighter, maltier structure on the other—a simple exercise that turns an enjoyable cup into an exploration of tea craftsmanship.

Two Teas, Two Traditions

The character of this blend becomes easier to understand when you look at its two components separately.

Keemun comes from Anhui Province, China. Unlike many of China's much older green-tea traditions, Keemun black tea emerged in the late 19th century and became internationally celebrated for its refined aromatic character. Fine examples can suggest wine, cocoa, toast, and seasoned wood without any of those ingredients being added.

Kenilworth Estate comes from Sri Lanka's Central Province. The estate is particularly known for its Orange Pekoe whole-leaf teas, producing a strong, full-bodied liquor with subtle oak and a bright malty finish.

This blend's philosophy is one of contrast and complement: Keemun brings aroma, wine-like depth, and cocoa. Kenilworth brings body, brightness, malt, and structure. The finished tea is more complete because neither component is asked to do everything.

What Does “Bordeaux of Tea” Mean?

Keemun is sometimes compared to Bordeaux or Burgundy wine because of its complex, refined aromatic character—not because the tea contains wine or is aged in wine barrels. Likewise, the chocolate and oak notes in Taft Museum of Art Black Tea are tasting notes, not ingredients. The complete ingredient list is wonderfully simple: Black tea.

This is one of the pleasures of pure tea. Differences in origin, cultivar, growing conditions, harvest, oxidation, and processing can create an extraordinary range of aromas without added flavoring.

What Does “Orange Pekoe” Mean?

Kenilworth is graded OP — Orange Pekoe, but there is no orange in the tea. Orange Pekoe is a traditional leaf-grading term used for orthodox black tea. It describes the leaf rather than the flavor. That distinction is especially useful in this blend because everything you taste—wine, wood, malt, cocoa—is created by the teas themselves.

Packaging: Our loose teas are sold by the ounce and packaged in food-grade resealable bags.

Explore the Teas Behind the Blend

Taft Museum of Art Black Tea (This Tea)
Wine • Oak • Malt • Cocoa
→ Best for: a full-bodied pure black-tea blend balancing Chinese aromatic complexity with Ceylon structure

Keemun Breakfast Black Tea
Wine-like • Weathered wood • Rich
→ Try next if: you want to explore the Chinese side of the blend and discover Keemun's distinctive character on its own

Kenilworth Ceylon Estate Black Tea
Oak • Malt • Smooth & full-bodied
→ Try next if: you want to isolate the Ceylon component and experience the structure it contributes to the blend

French Breakfast Black Tea
Rich • Smooth • Oaky
→ Try next if: you enjoy the idea of an artisan breakfast blend built around complementary pure teas

Queen Catherine Black Tea
Bittersweet chocolate • Leather • Complex
→ Try next if: the naturally dark, cocoa-like character of the Taft blend is what intrigues you most