Long Jing Dragon Well

Long Jing Dragon Well is an ultimate classic green tea, said to be the national drink of China. Grown in Hangzhou, it possesses a light golden liquor with a grassy aroma. The fresh flavours are vegetal and nutty with a mouth watering, creamy finish and no astringency.

Brewing guide: 2.5g in 250ml water at 80°C for 2-3 minutes

£2.50£8.50

(10-50g)

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Origin:Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
Cultivar:Long Jing #43 (龙井43)
Harvest time:April 2023
Sourcing:Specialist Chinese Wholesaler

Description

Long Jing (龙井) Dragon Well is an absolutely classic Chinese green tea. Combining both vegetal and nutty flavours, it is a sure crowd pleaser! Grown in Hangzhou of Zhejiang Province, the core growing area of Long Jing Dragon Well tea, this tea was picked in April 2023. Unlike our Long Jing Ming Qian Dragon Well, this tea is from a slightly later harvest time, which results in a fuller profile and a more attractive price point.

Long Jing Dragon Well is perhaps the most famous and popular tea in China. There are many legends and versions that try to explain the name of this tea. In our favourite legend of the origin of the name, a monk wanted to come to the aid of villagers of an area that has been suffering from a drought. The monk implored a dragon that lived in a well to help the villagers. After that the monk persuaded the villagers to pray and, with the dragon helping out, it miraculously started to rain. To celebrate this, the tea was named after the event – Dragon Well.

Long Jing Dragon Well is also considered to be one of the Famous Teas of China. As with all green tea, the oxidation process has to be stopped by heating the tea, and in the case of Dragon Well this is achieved by frying the freshly plucked tea leaves in a wok for about 20 minutes. If the oxidation process is not halted, the enzymes naturally present in the tea will oxidise it, resulting in oolong (partially oxidised) and black (fully oxidised) styles of tea. This tea is still mostly produced by hand as the wok frying requires great skill.

This particular Long Jing Dragon Well has green flat leaves, which is the classic appearance for this tea. When brewed it produces a bright light golden liquor with a slight vegetal aroma. The balanced flavours are a little vegetal, nutty and creamy with a mouth watering liquor that has a pleasant clean finish and minimum astringency. There are also notes of peppery capsicum and dandelions, leading to the overall impression of a fresh vegetal character.

This tea is best brewed with at 80c for 2-3 minutes and can be brewed multiple times.

You can also browse all Long Jing teas that we currently have on offer!

This Long Jing Dragon Well green tea was first featured in our December 2017 Curious Tea Subscription Boxes.