Long Jing Dragon Well Green Tea

TheLong Jing Dragon Well Green Tea is well known product both in China and all around the world. The great popularity of the Long Jing is also related to the tradition of bringing its leaves as a gift to friends and family members.

There are also a lot of legends related to the Long Jing. Some of these stories tell about the discovery of the first camelias that originated this precious variety of tea while, others, exalt the extraordinary benefits of these green and shiny small leaves.

The words Dragon Well in the name of this product, for example, refer to either a specific geographic area around the Xi Hu lake (historical place of origin of this tea) and a myth about the Long Jing. t is told, in fact, that the leaves of this tea should be infuse with the water coming from the springs close to the Xi Hu lake.

A tea prepared in this way has to reveal, on the surface of the beverage, some swirls of steam resembling to the shape of a snake-like dragon.

Apart from what it’s said in the legends the Long Jing Dragon Well Green Tea shows the classic aspect of an high quality product from Hangzhou. The emerald green leaves, in fact, have the traditional flattened and tight shape of a carefully hand-made processing.

The infuse of this Long Jing has a short sweet phase in favor of a more expressive vegetal character. In particular you can taste a fresh grassy flavor with a slightly balsamic note followed by a warm feeling that suggest an hay aroma in the mouth.

For the people who appreciate the vegetal character of this famous Chinese green tea we also suggest to try our Long Jing Xi Hu Organic Green Tea.

Read also: Long Jing, tea and legends

Tasting – Sight and smell

Long Jing Dragon Well green tea has medium-sized leaves, a glossy surface and flattened shape, with a color in shades of yellow-green and some ochre tones tending toward coppery. The scent of dried leaves already has strong roasted accents. Once infused, the leaves give off intense roasted and almondy notes, with a floral and fresh finish. The liquor is bright and transparent, with evidence of suspended bai hao, indicative of the presence of many buds. The color ranges from pale yellow in the first few infusions to a deeper golden yellow but as you proceed in gong fu cha.

Tasting Notes

The opening of Long Jing Dragon Well green tea on the palate is very soft and sweet: in fact, the first infusion gives notes of nuts such as almond and walnut and a moto delicate vegetal hint. With the second infusion, notes of praline almond intensify and hints of white flowers appear, combined with delicate vegetable notes reminiscent of steamed green beans. With the third and subsequent infusions, the floral notes become clearer and clearer: magnolia and orchid meet a pleasantly savory umami, which gives balance to the flavors in closing. The persistence is of medium length and carries vegetable and sweet notes of beeswax. The body is light and silky, the taste is up to the end without a trace of astringency or bitterness.

Place of origin

Hangzhou – Zhejiang, China

Production

The Long Jing Dragon Well Green Tea has a processing style strictly linked to the tradition. The leaves, after a brief withering phase under the sun, are cooked in big iron wok heated at a temperature around 180°C. This practice stops the enzymatic activity in the vegetal mass and, so, it prevents the oxidation of the product.

In the end the green leaves are banded and left to rest for a while so they can fix their final shape and loose some residual humidity.

Brewing instructions for the Long Jing Dragon Well Green Tea

We strongly recommend infusing Long Jing Dragon Well Green Tea in the traditional Chinese method (Gong Fu Cha) with a Gaiwan with a capacity of about 150 ml.

Following this preparation, multiple infusions can be made with 5 grams of leaves that are useful for best tasting all the flavors of tea.

After a quick rinse of the leaves with water at a temperature of 70°-75°C, an initial infusion of 25 seconds can be made, and then, keeping the water at the same temperature, the product can continue to be exploited by adding more to water and increasing the previous infusion time by about 10 seconds (25 – 35 – 45…).

For a more traditional preparation in the Western style, we recommend 3 grams of leaves (about 2 teaspoons) in a 200-mL cup with water at 70°-75°C for an infusion time of 2-3 minutes.

For a better tasting experience we suggest to filter the infuse as close as possible to the proper steeping time indication. The brewing time recommendations, however, can also be slightly adjust by your personal taste in order to obtain a strong or more delicate cup of tea.

Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

Green Tea benefits

Green Teas are always the most popular category when it comes to the health benefits of this beverage.

Instead of other teas, in fact, the tender and young leaves of this product has an higher concentration of useful and easily assimilable molecules for our body.

The most relevant benefits in Green Teas are related to antioxidants, amino acids and caffeine. A daily dose of these three compounds could cut down the level of sugar in blood, slow the cellular aging process, and reduce the sense of fatigue through the day.

So, the Green Tea is surely positive for our health but it’s also suggest to not exaggerate the assumption of this beverage in order to prevent some unpleasant side effects of caffeine.