Premium Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea

April, 2014 harvest
Searching for descriptors for this tea, a bit of serendipity played out: it tastes remarkably similar to the split pea/lentil/vegetable soup I made last night! So that ‘pairing’ before lunch today was fun, trying to deconstruct the flavors in the soup that gave rise to the similarity. The tea isn’t a straight-ahead pea/lentil soup flavor, definitely pulls in the added veggies… carrot, onion, celery, garlic(!) and kale… as well as the assorted herbs used.

In the end the winner was: kale and tarragon. Finding the tarragon note in the tea was the most fun, because I didn’t use much in the soup but the tea played it up!

One of the more novel tea tasting experiences I’ve had, highly recommend for anyone trying to ID the flavor notes in savory green teas :)

This was my second dragonwell of the day following Teavivre’s organic superfine version, aspiring here to advance my dragonwell appreciation. Both were subtle and had me searching for their nuances, probably due to my modest dragonwell experience. Adding to the description above, this one had a less astringent finish and more roasted flavor though still very vegetal.

Next time I’ll prep them using 2 tsp per cup.

Thanks to Angel at Teavivre for the spring green tasting flight :)

~Dry Leaf
Appearance: Light green, large pieces, little dust
Scent: Hay, grass

~Infused Leaf
Appearance: Opened up after 1st infusion, little color loss
Scent: More intense grass, hay, now floral, vegetal

~Liquor
Color: Light green, clear
Aromas: Subdued vegetal, floral, grassy
Taste: Smooth, floral, light, sweet, buttery; almost like a sencha
Texture: Full body, thick, little astringency throughout all infusions

~Summary
This was my very first “spring tea” and I was hooked once I opened the bag and smelled the fresh, tender leaves. The floral, sweet, and grassy notes certainly dominated this tasting experience. This dragonwell almost reminds me of Japanese greens, like sencha. I doubt that I can go back to aged dragonwells without being reminded of how wonderful the spring cup can taste. There is very little astringency throughout all three infusions and the intensity of the flavor seems to maintain a respectable intensity.

April 20, 2014 harvest, received it on May 19. Smells grassy, vegetal. Very bright taste, lime and watercress at the outset. Some of the other notes here say that this year’s harvest is much brighter than last year’s, the tea seems very bright to me. A bit of chestnut roast taste to finish off, but the brightness is what lingers in the mouth, cool on the throat afterward.

Sipdown :( I guess I will wait for the spring harvest to get any more long jing, but till then it will be sad having none in the cupboard. Such a nice relaxing tea.

Actually took the time to gong fu this tea and it sounds dumb saying it (I brewed EVERYTHING else in a gaiwan) but I was surprised what a difference it made. As per teavivre’s parameters I brewed this in a gaiwan open lided 3g/3oz water. Every single infusion was no longer the yellow color I was accustomed too but actually a very pale translucent green. I rushed through the first few steepings not taking note of the flavor other than different than tall glass brewing, much sweeter and no astringency or bold dragonwell bitter brothy taste I was expecting. The last steeping I actually focused and got a cooked zucchini flavor which was quite pleasant.

I put more value in this tea and will try gong fu cha with green tea more often. Since the tea has arrived I have gong fu, tall glass and grandpa style brewed this I think my favorite is still generic open lid tall glass because I like my greens strong 90% time but an interesting experiment and a note worthy tea at just over $5/oz a strong candidate for a staple daily drinker.

Dry leaves smell sweet and have a slight hint of hay/foliage. To taste it’s a bit sweet, pleasantly nutty with a hint of grassiness. Maybe a hint of roasted leaves. Longjing is my first love of green teas. I still have some of this from last year’s picking and this smells and tastes much “brighter” than the year old tea.

I received a sample of this from Angel and the folks at TeaVivre. Thank you!

I need to get to the pool tonight since the weather didn’t pan out for a bike ride, but I am dragging my feet and getting stuff done at the computer. This seems like the perfect companion in my procrastination.

I am unsure what to make of green tea. I have had some cups that I love and others that I dump out as soon as I take the first sip. Half of the cups I have never even written tasting notes about because I never even make it that far. I played it safe with this one. I made the water to the low end of the suggested temperature and steeped on the low end of time. This is wonderful! I can see a nice summer tea in my future. This is a light, slightly sweet vegetal tea. I am so impressed! There is a buttery feel on the tongue that is very nice. There is also absolutely no bitterness! Yes, finally a green tea that I love!

The Leaf: very flat, unbroken, and slightly browned. visible buds, and fuzz. nice light fragrance like roasted grass.

The Brew: The liquor is very light green, almost white or clear with no cloudiness. The aroma is very light, but similar to the leaf. The flavor is also light but has a very smooth mouthfeel. slightly bitter, but with a nice grassy taste. leaves your mouth with a slight dryness.

I drink all of my teas cold.

I love this stuff so much. So crisp and refreshing even in the hot Florida sun. Every day when i wake up I brew this in my gaiwan and have around 4-5 infusions. After you drink it you feel amazing. It leaves your mouth feeling fresh and clean, and your mind feeling totally awakened and ready to take on anything. my brewing times for four steeps would be…. 20 seconds 40 seconds 60 seconds 80 seconds. I use a good size pinch of tea and the water is 175 degrees F. Enjoy!

I love this tea. It’s green and beany, yet light enough to drink all day long. My favourite part is watching this one unfurl in the cup, makes for a wonderful morning.