I took a chance on this at an international market recently. It was nearly 7 oz. of tea for just $11.00 but it was still well within the expiration date so I thought I would give it a go because I really love Longjing. Well, I guess you get what you pay for sometimes! The title of the tea indicates that it is from the West Lake region which is a good start. The packaging doesn’t appear to be very good with regard to protecting the integrity of the tea though. It is in a basic clear glass jar. The flavor is tastes like “right leaves, right preparation, poor storage”. You get a very muted flavor profile that lacks the pronounced vegetal, nutty essence with a smooth buttery texture that great Chinese Greens often have. When you smell the wet leaves, you have to really struggle to get a familiar DragonWell essence. On the whole, it is not a bad tea and I will finish the jar in time. It’s just that once you have really good Dragowell, it is hard to accept an impostor. On the whole, it is not a bad buy for $11.00 but this really not something I would want to share with someone to show off how great Dragonwell can be.
Flavors: Butter, Marine, Nutty, Vegetal
