Meet the Tea: Dragonwell
Dragonwell, aka, Longjing, is a green tea that hails from the West Lake region of China's Zhejiang Province. It is well known for both the flat shape of the leaves and its distinctive chestnut aroma.
Firepot Nomadic Teas 2017 Pre-Qingming Lotus Heart Dragonwell
Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: flat, jade green Steep time: 3 minutes Water Temperature: 130 degrees Preparation Method: glass pitcher Liquor: pale, greenish I love Dragonwell. A lot. That’s why I was super excited when Sarah of Nomadic Tea Party offered to send me some of the pre-Qingming dragonwell that she sourced for her company Firepot Nomadic Teas. She was able to secure just one pound of it! It is so limited that they are actually selling it at cost so that others can experience it for themselves. I really wanted the little bit I had of this tea to last so I brewed up only 8oz at a time in my glass…
Le Palais des Thés Long Jing Premium Green Tea 2014
Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: jade green, flat Ingredients: green tea Steep time: 4 minutes Water Temperature: 170 degrees Preparation Method: glass teapot Liquor: very pale gold Long Jing, also known as Dragonwell, is one of my favorite types of green tea. This particular one is from +Palais des Thés‘s Grand Cru collection. Although this is last year’s harvest, the leaves were still in fairly good shape. The taste was sweet with the signature nutty aroma that I have come to expect from this tea. That roastiness was accompanied by a pleasant vegetal quality that reminded me a bit of asparagus. There was also an interesting minerality that I wouldn’t have expected from…
Teavivre Organic Nonpareil She Qian Dragon Well 2015
Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: small, flat, jade green Ingredients: green tea Steep time: 3 minutes Water Temperature: 180 degrees Preparation Method: glass teapot Liquor: very pale, almost clear I think +TeaVivre may hold the title of most reviewed company on this blog. This is the 36th tea that I’ve written about from them! Last year’s harvest of this tea was absolutely fantastic so I jumped for joy when I won a small bag of it from their Facebook contest. I’m happy to say that this year’s offering was just as enjoyable. The aroma of the dry leaves was incredibly fresh. They should be since they were only just picked on March 10th! They were comprised…
Teavivre Organic Nonpareil She Qian Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea 2014
Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: jade green, flat Ingredients: green tea Steep time: 3 minutes Water Temperature: 185 degrees Preparation Method: glass teapot Liquor: pale greenish gold This tea is a bit unusual in that it was harvested on March 23rd. This is very early in the Spring, prior to the Qing Ming harvest period. Production is extremely small at that time. The resulting tea was nothing short of amazing. Not only was it intensely aromatic but it had a very complex flavor profile. It was nutty, sweet and crisp with floral notes, a touch of melon and even a bit of creaminess. It lingered in my mouth for so long even…
Peony Tea Shop Pre Qing Ming Dafo Longjing
Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: jade green, flat and thin Ingredients: green tea Steep time: 30 seconds Water Temperature: 175 degrees Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan Liquor: very pale greenish gold Did you know that there are different types of Dragonwell? I wasn’t very familiar with them until until I read an article posted by +Peony Tea S.. This particular one is a Dafo Longjing which means that it is from Xichang county. Although not from the traditional West Lake, this region still produces a very high quality tea. The taste was smooth and sweet with heavy notes of chestnut. There was also a very slight floral aspect that I’ve not often experienced with this…
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