Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Product Description:
A premium grade, classic green tea that, for good reason, is renowned as China’s best tea
- Grown in Xihu near Hangzhou in province Zhejiang
- Flattened tea leaves, with one bud and one or two leaves
- Pale green yellow when brewed
- A subtle, rich, orchid like taste and aroma, with no hint of bitterness
- Low caffeine (less than 10% of a cup of coffee)
- 1-2 teaspoons for 8oz of water. Brew at 176 ºF (80 ºC) for 1 to 2 minutes
XiHu (West Lake) Dragon Well green tea, or Long Jing as it is known in China, is commonly regarded as one of China’s top ten teas, and is often served to visiting head’s of states. TeaVivre’s grade 1 Long Jing tea is an absolutely fantastic example of this tea. Mostly handmade it has no hint of bitterness, instead it has a delightfully subtle classic green tea taste and aromatic scent.
Our Premium Dragon Well Green Tea (Long Jing) meets the most strictly European low pesticide residues standard for agricultural products. View Quality Safety Analyzing Report
Taster’s Review:
This is an exquisite Dragon Well tea.
The leaves look very much like other Dragon Well teas I’ve tried in the past, except that these look … fresher. Greener. The leaves have a brighter green color to them, while some other Dragon Well Teas I’ve seen have more of a grayish-green color to them… they almost look a bit dusty. That’s not to say they were bad Dragon Well teas, some of them I rather enjoyed. It is only to say that this Dragon Well is different. The color is vibrant. And no wonder! The production date on the label of this the is April 2011. How’s that for fresh?
The flavor is BREATH-TAKING! It is so crisp and bright. I brewed this tea in my gaiwan using short steeps and the flavor is … insanely good. Vegetative, to be sure, but, I wouldn’t categorize it as a bitter, grassy taste, but more of a delicate sweet grass flavor with hints of a nutty-like flavor (not a roasted nut, but, more like a sweet, blanched nut flavor) in the background.
There is absolutely no bitterness to this tea whatsoever, and such a mild astringency that unless I’m really paying attention, I don’t notice it at all. It is just incredibly smooth, from start to finish; starting sweet with hints of grass, middle notes of sweet, creamy nut-like flavor, and ending sweet and clean. There is a slight aftertaste that is sweet, but it does not linger very long.
This is certainly one of the most impressive Dragon Well teas that I’ve ever encountered. I highly recommend it to all tea enthusiasts.
