The smell of the loose leaf was very pleasant, sweet, and a little floral.
I brewed around 2 oz water to 1 rounded tsp (mabye a bit more) at near boiling for 30 seconds, increasing each steep by 15 seconds each time.
The first infusion was slightly vegetal (it did have a slight sencha-like vegetal taste), but this was quickly overpowered by the nutty, stir-fry-like chestnut flavor. It was quite a unique taste, and when I imagine how “Chinese” tastes (Chinese anything!), it is THIS flavor. It was really good, and if it ended at that it might have weirded me out, since it wasn’t like any tea I’ve had before.
However, the underlying flavor was such a pleasant, rounded sweetness. It wasn’t sharply sweet like the shinchas I’ve had (sugary), but smooth sweet, like a piece of fruit that is just barely ripe, or flowers. It was very pleasant.
This sweetness became more pronounced with each steeping as well.
Each time I poured the pot into the cup, a really pleasant aroma rose up from the tea as well. This was my first experience with Dragon Well (Long Jing), at least that I know of, and it was a good one. Glad I have more than a sample of this!
