Description
Dragon Well tea is one of the most famous teas in China and is characterized by its green color, delicate aroma, mellow taste, beautiful and interesting flat shape.
Longjing tea, also known as West Lake Dragon Well tea, is named after its production region-Longjing Village of West Lake Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. 10% of the Long Jing production is coming from this area, with the name Xihu Longjing.
The other two acclaimed areas are the surrounding Qiantang Longjing 钱塘龙井 with 30% of the total Dragon Well production and Yuezhou 越州龙井 60%.
Our tea is coming from semi-wild bushes at the higher mountains in Qiantang, the garden is located at 800-1200 m sea level. The bushes are not cultivated in the hedge style, are single bushes with quite a good height. The name of the varietal is Lao Peng. 群体种老蓬
Tasting notes:
Steamed gaiwan: pine, spinach, soft roasted nuts.
1st steeping 30 s, marzipan scent, spinach fried on butter, very round mouthfeel, tickling acidity, nice vivid cha qi. Soft astringency of rubarb.
The later steepings show elegant body with nice green, soft roasted flavours, happy and balanced green tea. At some of the steepings we enjoyed a nice brulée aftertaste.
All in all, a nice balance of the green and roasted notes, more on the soft and vivid green side.
History:
Its history can be dated back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and it has been famous in China since the Song Dynasty (960-1279), prevailing in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties.
Thanks to Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Longjing tea has earned a high reputation.
The legend went that Emperor Qianlong visited Lion Peak Mountain during his Hangzhou travels, and he saw some ladies picking the tea at the foot of the mountain. He was so interested in their movements that he decided to have a go himself.
While picking the tea, he received the news of his mother’s illness, so he carelessly put the leaves in his right sleeve and left Hangzhou for Beijing. He visited his mother immediately upon his arrival in Beijing, and Empress Dowager smelt the fragrance of the leaves from his sleeves and wanted to have a taste.
Emperor Qianlong ordered some tea to be brewed for her, and she found herself completely refreshed after drinking a cup of tea, and she even praised it as a remedy for all ills. From then on, Longjing tea was listed as the tribute tea especially for Empress Dowager.
Preparing Instructions:
Quantity: 5-6 gramm per 180ml
Water temperature: 70-75ºC. From fresh spring, mineral water or filtered water
Brewing time: 20-30… seconds
Infusions: 3-4
