Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: jade green, flat
Water Temperature: 185 degrees
Steep Time: 30 seconds
Preparation Method: glass gaiwan
Liquor: pale greenish
Seven Cups Fine Teas is one of those tea companies that greatly influenced my early tea journey. There wasn’t much information about tea online back then, but I religiously watched their podcast on my tiny iPod Nano. Yes, it was that long ago! Earlier this year they kindly shared some teas with me. It’s been a while since they’ve been reviewed here on the blog so it’s high time to revisit their offerings.
This tea comes from Shifeng Mountain in China’s Zhejiang Province. It was made with the Lao Chashu Quntizhong cultivar in late March of 2023. A lot of the older bushes have been replaced with Longjing #43, so it’s nice to see a producer that is still using heirloom varieties.
Leaf
The dry leaf was jade green with the signature flat blade-like shape of a dragonwell. They were mostly whole and unbroken with a fresh, slightly grassy aroma. I prepared this tea gongfu style in a glass gaiwan with 185℉ water and a first infusion of 30 seconds. This is my favorite way to brew dragonwell, other than grandpa style, because it really shows off the leaves. I was able to see a fair amount of tender buds once the leaves fully unfurled.
Liquor
Seven Cups 2023 First Pluck Shifeng Longjing brewed up a pale greenish liquor. The taste was soft and buttery with an almost savory brothiness. The signature toastiness I’ve come to expect from Dragonwell was front and center. It was vegetal in a crisp way with a lingering sweetness after each sip. Floral notes of orchids seemed to come more to the forefront with each infusion.
I would recommend this tea both to ardent fans of Longjing and to those who are just starting to explore this type of green tea. It is approachable and unfussy but also provides a lot of aroma and flavor. It is also fairly priced for a tea that is genuinely from Shifeng Mountain. Seven Cups has long been one of my go-to vendors for Chinese teas for exactly these reasons.
2023 First Pluck Shifeng Longjing sample provided for review by Seven Cups Fine Chinese Teas.
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