Spring 2019 harvest
My dragonwell tasting flight continues. I have to say, I’ve never really been into Long Jing until this year. Turns out it wasn’t my tastebuds, but operator error. Having now learned to brew it properly, I’ve started to gain a newfound appreciation for this tea.
I steeped it grandpa style: 1.2g of leaf in 10oz of 180 F water. The aroma of the leaves is sweet and vegetal. The dry leaf smells of spinach, edamame, and chestnut. The brewed tea has the aroma of sweet peas and honey. On the first sip, I tasted warm grass, sugar snap peas, and green beans. Fresh, crisp texture with a thick mouthfeel. Underlying this is mild bitterness that grows ever so slightly as I drink down my cup but doesn’t become overbearing.
Flavors: Chestnut, Garden Peas, Honey, Soybean, Spinach
Preparation
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So would you recommend brewing dragonwell grampa style instead of gongfu? I think I might also be making it wrong.
Well I’m sure there’s a way to properly brew dragonwell gongfu, but I haven’t figured it out yet :-) But yeah, grandpa style seems to be the classic method of brewing it. It’s one of those green teas that needs a steep longer in order to release its flavor
I’ll have to try that. I’ve always been reluctant to explore grampa steeping because I don’t enjoy really hot tea and I’m worried that by the time I start drinking it, it’ll be bitter. How do you figure out how much leaf to use?
Dragonwell is my favorite unflavored green.
@Leafhopper it took me a while to get the hang of grandpa brewing. The leaf/water ratio and temperature has to just be right to avoid bitterness. I weigh out the leaves and use roughly 0.25g per 2oz of water. Try that as a starting point and see how you like it.
@gmathis I’m partial to sencha but dragonwell is really growing on me
Thanks! I might just do that with some aging dragonwell I have lying around.
So would you recommend brewing dragonwell grampa style instead of gongfu? I think I might also be making it wrong.
Well I’m sure there’s a way to properly brew dragonwell gongfu, but I haven’t figured it out yet :-) But yeah, grandpa style seems to be the classic method of brewing it. It’s one of those green teas that needs a steep longer in order to release its flavor
I’ll have to try that. I’ve always been reluctant to explore grampa steeping because I don’t enjoy really hot tea and I’m worried that by the time I start drinking it, it’ll be bitter. How do you figure out how much leaf to use?
Dragonwell is my favorite unflavored green.
@Leafhopper it took me a while to get the hang of grandpa brewing. The leaf/water ratio and temperature has to just be right to avoid bitterness. I weigh out the leaves and use roughly 0.25g per 2oz of water. Try that as a starting point and see how you like it.
@gmathis I’m partial to sencha but dragonwell is really growing on me
Thanks! I might just do that with some aging dragonwell I have lying around.