Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
This Organic Dragon Well Long Jing tea origins in organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain in Lin’an, Hangzhou. The organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain, has passed the organic certification of European, USA and Japan, is a significant base of planting organic dragon well and green tea. This dragon well long jing tea persists a high level in picking and producing while meeting the standard of organic certification. The tea should be picked as one bud and two leaves or three leaves in order to reach the standard. Tea workers also have excellent skills, which help keep the natural features of fresh tea leaves. Combined with the advantages of organic tea and high grade tea, this dragon well long jing tea is suitable for tea lovers of organic tea as well as dragon well green tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I previously reviewed Teavivre’s Spring 2014 She Qian Dragon Well and I absolutely LOVED it. It would seem that the She Qian is sold out now, so if you’re looking for an alternative, this Organic Superfine Dragon Well from Teavivre is an excellent choice.
The flavor is sweet and vegetal, with notes of butter and a nutty taste in the background. The nutty flavor is slightly “toasty,” like fresh, roasted chestnuts. I like the way the butter and the nutty flavors unite to offer a slight creaminess to the flavor. It’s not a heavy cream taste, but just a little something to contrast with the mild vegetative flavor.
The texture of the cup is light and refreshing. With every sip, my palate feels clean and energized but i don’t feel overstimulated with this drink. It’s a calm, peaceful sort of beverage to sip, but at the same time, I can feel it “renew” me. It’s not a drink that feels “weighty” on the palate, nor does it feel “brothy” or creamy. It’s smooth and it has a light richness to the flavor, but, it isn’t a real overbearing texture on the tongue.
And what’s great about this Dragon Well from Teavivre – besides the fact that it tastes awesome and it’s organic! – is that it’s a tea that keeps on going. You can infuse it several times with no loss of flavor. In fact, it’s well worth the effort to infuse this at least two or three times because I find that the later infusions are more flavorful than the first cup.
If you’re looking for your Dragon Well tea source for this year, you can’t go wrong with Teavivre. This is true of any tea that they offer – everything that I’ve tried from them has been top notch.
With Open Eyes Green Tea Blend from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
With Open Eyes pairs our premium Hangzhou Dragon Well with the flavor of fresh picked strawberries, soothing ginger, and subtle buttery toffee. The chestnut, damp moss, and marine notes of the Hangzhou Dragon Well mingle with and compliment the strawberry, ginger, and toffee notes. Adding a little bit of brown crystal sugar will enhance the strawberry and toffee notes while subduing the ginger notes.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yummy! This tea is really awesome! With Open Eyes Green Tea Blend from Butiki Teas is a sweet, nutty Dragon Well tea combined with the flavor of strawberry, ginger, and toffee to create a really unique and deliciously flavored blend!
What I’m noticing immediately with this blend is that the ginger is not overpowering. It is a very subtle warmth that I’m getting from the ginger here, just enough spice to keep things interesting but not enough for it to come off as fiery or spicy.
The Dragon Well is sweet and nutty with notes of vegetation. The strawberry notes are really delightful Sweet with just a hint of berry tart. The strawberry in this cup reminds me a lot of the strawberries you’ll experience “mid-season” … when they’re at their sweetest peak.
And then there is the buttery toffee! Oh my goodness! I would not have thought of combining ginger and strawberry with the flavor of toffee – but it works so well together. The toffee adds a little bit of sweetness and buttery creaminess to the cup and these notes marry so well with the natural nutty tones of the Dragon Well.
The flavors all meld so beautifully together, creating a very unified taste that it almost tastes as though they are one flavor rather than several individual notes. Everything is subtly flavored and well balanced to create a very seamless tasting experience. Another awesome tea from Butiki Teas!
Organic Superfine Dragon Well Long Jing from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
This Organic Dragon Well Long Jing tea origins in organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain in Lin’an, Hangzhou. The organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain, has passed the organic certification of European, USA and Japan, is a significant base of planting organic dragon well and green tea. This dragon well long jing tea persists a high level in picking and producing while meeting the standard of organic certification. The tea should be picked as one bud and two leaves or three leaves in order to reach the standard. Tea workers also have excellent skills, which help keep the natural features of fresh tea leaves. Combined with the advantages of organic tea and high grade tea, this dragon well long jing tea is suitable for tea lovers of organic tea as well as dragon well green tea.
Learn more about this green tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I like Dragon Well tea (I didn’t always, but that’s another story), so it doesn’t surprise me that I’m enjoying this Organic Superfine Long Jing from Teavivre. I knew I’d like it. And I do.
But, what I didn’t expect is how much I’d like it. This is one of the very best – if not the best – Dragon Well teas I’ve encountered. It tastes so crisp and clean. It tastes sweet and slightly vegetative, with buttery undertones. Vaguely reminiscent of steamed fresh veggies – sweet, mild tasting veggies. Like fresh lima beans with just a touch of melted butter. Delicious and mouthwatering!
What I really like about this tea, though, is not the vegetable taste but the taste of freshly roasted chestnuts! Because of this sweet, nutty flavor, it tastes very much like autumn to me, and is making me look forward to a time when it will be cool enough to start a fire in the fireplace and roast some chestnuts! YUM!
Drinking this Long Jing offers a great sense of calm and satisfaction, but at the same time, I can feel it rejuvenate me. I feel invigorated as I drink it – but not so invigorated that I am bouncing off the walls. It leaves me feeling refreshed and relaxed.
Another exceptional tea from a company that seems to offer nothing but exceptional teas – Teavivre!
Dragonwell from The Tao of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Tao of Tea
Tea Description:
Grown near the famed West Lake in Hangzhou, Dragonwell has been honored since the Tang Dynasty. It is said to be at its best when brewed with water from the nearby Tiger Run Spring which is high in natural minerals and sweet in taste. In making the tea, the leaves are hand roasted in small woks. With precise hand movements of the tea maker, the leaves gain a flat, shiny, and jade appearance.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’d like to think of myself as somewhat of an adventurous tea drinker. I am willing to try just about any type of tea (with a few exceptions), and I’ve tried some pretty unusual combinations. That being said, sometimes, I want a tea I can rely on. One that I know will deliver a flavor that I will enjoy, and one that I know what I can expect from it.
Like this Dragonwell from The Tao of Tea. I knew – even before I brewed it for the first time – that I’d be getting a delicious tea. I enjoy Dragonwell tea, and The Tao of Tea has never let me down before. They consistently – reliably! – offer high quality, delicious teas that never disappoint.
And this Dragonwell is quite what I would expect from a Dragonwell tea: sweet, lightly buttery, with a sweet, grassy tone and a hint of nutty flavor in the background.
Another delicious tea from a company that I’ve come to trust to deliver nothing but the best: The Tao of Tea.
Queen Catherine Tea from Harney & Sons
Tea Type: Black Tea
Where To Buy: Harney & Sons
Product Description:
We created this blend of three Chinese black teas in honor of Queen Catherine, who introduced her love of tea to the British. We are privledged to have this tea featured in the Museum of Tea in Hangzhou, China. Harney & Sons is the only Western tea company to receive this honor.
Tasters Review:
Thus far – Queen Catherine – is one of my favorites from Harney & Sons! I think it’s a great tea for mornings and afternoons as well as hot or cold. It’s just one of those black teas that is good to have on hand at all times!
My first impressions of this tea?
Once I first started infusing this tea I could smell a very faint hint of smoke. It’s a deep burgundy brown.
The taste isn’t what I expected and that’s not a bad thing…it’s certainly your typical black tea taste but then I found a semi-bitter/semi-sweet berry type taste at the end of the sip! It was a surprise but I liked it! YUP! The tea description that I read didn’t mention that it had berries in it but I can certainly taste hints on the tongue. And they are subtle, beautiful hints!
