Organic Nonpareil She Qian Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea

I had purchased a tin of this because my husband really liked it. Somehow I have managed to miss posting a tasting note every single time we had it and now it is gone and I can’t even enjoy announcing a sipdown fully because I didn’t add it to my cupboard! Or a Steepster glitch took it out? Who knows?

Anyway, this is a lovely looking dragonwell with soft, gentle green, fuzzy peapod-like leaves that smell so chocolate-y. The steeped tea is more assertive than the dry aroma gives away, richer than I expected it to be. This is one of my husband’s favorites so once I get my cupboard under better control I will have to seek out more.

This tea has a pleasant nutty aroma. It has a nutty flavor with hints of grass and a nice brothy texture. It is an excellent green tea.

I have been doing an awful job at taking notes lately. :( Life has been so busy that when I have been drinking tea, I have just wanted to drink and enjoy it more organically.

Anyhow. I received this tea around this time in April (so been enjoying it for around a month), and it really does deserve a note. Thank you, steph, for recommending this one!

This tea has a lovely, sweet nutty aroma right out of the bag and tastes of sweet chestnuts from the first steep. The liquor is a very clear, light gold. I really enjoy (and recommend) taking it slow with this tea, enjoying the flavor and aroma of each steep /and/ the aroma of the leaves between each steep. After the first infusion, the aroma of these leaves is reminiscent of a nice, umami broth, and it really fills my office. Inhaling deeply is all it takes to find the nuttiness still beneath.

The following steep brings more of the same flavors, but with more depth, and a stronger sweetness kicks in in steep three. Overall, this is a lovely fresh green to enjoy, and I am very glad I got to enjoy the fresh harvest!

I have a bit of time this morning, so I thought I might do a fuller review for this. It’s been a while. Let’s start the review in the tin, shall we? I never do that, but I feel it needs covering.

The aroma is incredible. It wafts right out of the tin and slaps me in the face, making my mouth water in anticipation. It’s such a strong green bean, sweet buttery aroma that I feel as though I am standing INSIDE the jar. I’ll admit to opening my tea cabinet once or twice just so I can stick my nose in that jar. Once a bit has been separated from its fellows, however, the dry leaf isn’t strong enough to omit much of an aroma.

Once it’s wet, the brew and the leaf exude a strong, sweet chestnut and grassy aroma. It’s almost a bit matcha like in character.

The flavor of the tea actually hits the mouth in stages. The first part is on the front of the palate, where it is sweet, bright, and grassy. On the back of the palate, I get the darker flavors, like chestnuts, umami, and butter. The aftertaste is the tiniest bit astringent, but not in a way that bothers someone who dislikes astringency. I mostly get a slightly toasted matcha-like flavor that lingers on the palate for a while after swallowing.

One of my first fresh greens for the year, and a great experience to start off with!

I am writing about the 2016 spring harvest:

This tea is truly delightful! After trying the superfine version of Teavivre’s Dragon Well, I didn’t figure they could improve by much. Thankfully, I was wrong! This tea is smooth, sweet, and has no bitterness! Highly recommend!

Water: 8oz

Leaves: flat dull light green leaves

Measuring Spoon: no

Steep: 3m~

Aroma: vegetable

Color: light yellow

Clarity: great

Taste: From reading my reviews over time I’m sure many of you know how much i enjoy dragon well tea! It’s always seems to be top shelf favorite no matter what variety or when it’s picked. This is the first time i’m trying a She Qian Long Jin which from the website states " picked shortly after the buds sprout". the scent was noticeable even when i only opened the silver packer a little bit.I allowed the the to steep for a little over 3 minutes. The taste was surprising as this was the first time i’ve had any bitterness in a dragon well tea. The bitterness lasted throughout the cup leaving an after taste on the tongue. I then looked at the website then at the instructions on the silver packet. I found that the problem was there was a misprint the packet stated to brew it at “185 degrees” while on the website it said “176 degrees”. This goes to show how important it is to have the proper temperature when making a tea. I’m going to have to try it again later with the right water temperature. With the bitterness noted this was an okay cup not as great as the other dragon wells considering the incorrect instructions.

First off.. Thank you to Angel and Teavivre for sending me a generous sample of this tea.
Dragon Well greens have always been a favorite and I thought I’d have a pot while I study. The leaves are gorgeous. Deep forest green. The flavor of the tea is nice. It has a nice thick buttered veggies taste to it.

My first spring green of 2016 and definitely worth the wait. The dry leaves in a heated vessel exude a luscious creamed spinach aroma. Tea brews to a delicate, pale liquor that embodies the freshness of the leaves. There is a gentle grassiness accompanied by a a soft chestnut flavor. Eventually it transitions to a light vegetable broth. The mouthfeel is crisp and smooth. Nothing too strong or in your face. This is a pretty mellow tea as far as dragon wells go. It’s thinner than Teavivre’s Premium Dragonwell but the taste is more refined.

I recommend steeping this in a tall glass. Normally grandpa style is annoying because of leaves getting into your mouth, but I didn’t mind it here because the tender buds are so delicious. And the beauty of watching these leaf buds dancing in the water only adds to the enjoyment. A very invigorating and refreshing dragon well tea.

This is one of the better teas I’ve ever tasted. Yes, it’s a bit more expensive, but sometimes you have to treat yourself! The aromas and flavors are so wonderful. I feel like I am “drinking spring.” What an excellent tea. Wow, just WOW!!

This is a lovely dragon well that is also organic! I’m always excited when I find a good organic tea. Sadly most of my favorites are not, but I can’t help but to wonder about what the leaves might have been sprayed with or the soil treated with when I drink non-organic at times. I digress though- the dry leaf on this one is light green, airy, and pressed. The smell is more grassy and savory than some of my other recently reviewed straight greens, but still in a very pleasant way. The liquor is clear light yellow-green and there is no oil or film. The taste is very fresh- cucumber slices and crisp snow peas in a broth. I can see how someone might say this one is floral, but I am not getting flowers myself personally. It makes me think of a winter/early spring harvest. Lettuce, chard, snow peas, all manner of cool weather crops. Great tea for a 29 degree morning here in Georgia. Happy Friday fellow Steepsters!