Dragonwell Tea
This is a lovely tea, fresh and fragrant. I like to drink mine strong so I steep it for longer than most, but the taste is delightful, smooth and lingering.
Dragon Well, in all its various grades, is known for 4 characteristics: a jade-like color, vegetative aroma, chestnut-like flavor and a feather-like shape. It is perhaps the best known of the Chinese teas. Our Lung Ching is a standard grade showing fresh green coloration, hints of golden yellow and leaves of varying sizes. It is grown in the Hangzhou area, harvested in mid-April, in a township well-known for its Dragon Well production, which, for the most part, is consumed in the domestic market. To gain its classic leaf shape, the leaves are firmly pressed with the heal of the hand against the surface of the roasting wok. This firing process, using just a small amount of tea oil, results in a rich-green leaf color that is tinged with a yellow-gold color. Harvested April 2018. Lot # S8
Lot Notes
Each year in the second week of April, we travel to a local factory for our annual Dragon Well tea tasting. As the factory specializes in Long Jing, they work toward a standard year-to-year in their tea. The taste profile tilts toward what the domestic China market enjoys and we have come to appreciate that profile as well. This lot is fresh, the firing even handed and not too high - the resulting taste is crisp, vegetal and nutty. There is nice tension between sweet and astringent notes in this tea.
Tea Facts
This lot is produced more to a local custom than most of the Dragon Well exported from China. The leaves were harvested in the third week of April. For Dragon Wells generally, China became comparatively warm with temperatures in the high 20s Celsius making the leaves bolt or grow too large, too fast.
Tasting Notes
The aroma is vegetative and sweet. Steeped for 2-3 minutes, the cup color is green-yellow reflective of the strength of the leaf. The taste is clearly vegetal with a nice flavor of chestnuts that will warm. It has a nice long finish.
Brewing Suggestions
Given its quality, we recommend using 3 grams of leaf per 8 ounces of water. Steep with water temperature of 185-195 degrees F.; steep for 2 to 2.5 minutes. Longer steep times will yield a stronger cup taste, more flavors with some increase in the tea's astringency or "bite". Drain the leaves, leave them dry and save them for additional steeps.
This is a lovely tea, fresh and fragrant. I like to drink mine strong so I steep it for longer than most, but the taste is delightful, smooth and lingering.
I normally drink the premium grades of Dragonwell and decided to try this one. I found it to be very good (smooth-vegetal) and considerably easier on the wallet.
I have been drinking this grade of Dragon Well tea for years and have always enjoyed it. It is consistently flavorful and is a good bargain. At times I but more expensive teas for a treat but always return to Dragon Well. It is never disappointing.
While I enjoy many of the Silk Road teas, the Dragonwell is by far my favorite. Flavorful, but not too sweet or vegetal for my taste. A great morning cuppa!
Great green tea at a great price slight grassiness an every day tea that I have enjoyed for years. Ordering again. Ext week
Been drinking Dragonwell since we visited China in 2008. Only reason it's not 5 star is because we can't afford the top grade which we know is 5 star. So maybe we are drinking 4 star at less than half the price.
Fresh grassy greens taste that isn't unpleasant. Lovely golden green tint. The leaves opened up beautifully in my tea pot, couldn't stop admiring and smelling them. I'm considering using the left over leaves (after the second steep) for warm baths or compost.
Unless you want to brag about the price of your tea or have van unbelievably discerning palate, this tea is indistinguishable from the so called First Grade....in my personal opinion
While waiting for our regular Lung Ching to arrive we ordered this as an alternative. Pleasantly different and a light true "nutty" flavor.
