Dragon Well - Long Jing

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 2019. Lot # S9

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 minutes, the cup color is green-yellow reflective of the strength of the leaf. The taste is clearly vegetal with a flavor of chestnuts that will warm and a hint of astringency that is traditional to this style of Dragon Well. Offers a quenching, lingering 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.