Dragon Well, also known as Longjing, is one of the most celebrated green teas in the world, and it’s the only one to have a protected designation of origin.
Organic Dragon Well has all the spring-fresh character and floral notes prized in green tea, but also unusually for green tea it has a warming, chestnut comfort. In 2022, our team in China spent a few days in and around Hangzhou, Dragon Well’s home. The pictures they captured will – we hope – go some way to explaining what’s so special about this tea.
- This authentic region for Dragon Well (Longjing)
The original and authentic region for Dragon Well (Longjing) is split into a few different production areas around Hangzhou in Zhejiang province. West Lake is the most well-known. People will travel here from all over China each spring during the four-week picking season to visit and choose their Dragon Well tea for the year. Dragon Well has all the spring-fresh character and floral notes prized in green tea, but also unusually for green tea it has a warming, chestnut comfort. A few weeks ago, our team in China spent a few days in and around Hangzhou, Dragon Well’s home. The pictures they captured will – we hope – go some way to explaining what’s so special about this tea.
- Mr. Wen’s verdant garden in Qian Tang. Close by to West Lake, Qian Tang and Yuezhou are other traditional origins within Zhejiang province
Close by to West Lake, Qian Tang and Yuezhou are other traditional origins within Zhejiang province. This is Yong’an garden in Qian Tang, where Shentang Wen crafts our Organic Dragon Well Supreme. These areas are rural, cool and mountainous – and with good opportunities for biodiversity. With no artificial and chemical fertilisers or pesticides used, Wen’s Garden is certified Organic.
3.The Jiukeng bush - a cultivar that provides intense flavours especially Dragon Well’s traditional chestnut notes. Wen uses a cultivar of the tea bush called Jiukeng. Although it’s a traditional cultivar for the area, it is not often used. Wen – and we – like how the intense, rich flavour and texture the Jiukeng cultivar produces, perfectly complements and highlights the characteristic nuttiness of Dragon Well tea.
Wen uses a cultivar of the tea bush called Jiukeng. Although it’s a traditional cultivar for the area, it’s not often used. Wen – and we – like how the intense, rich flavour and texture the Jiukeng cultivar produces, perfectly complements and highlights the characteristic nuttiness of Dragon Well tea.
Only the freshest young buds are used in high quality Dragon Well production. Each bud is carefully hand-picked, which helps ensure the buds remain intact and reduce the chances for any oxidation to happen during processing. It’ll take around 60-100 hand-picked buds to make one cup of tea.
4.1. Only the freshest young buds are used in high quality Dragon Well production
4.2. Hand-picking the leaves prevents oxidation during the tea making process. Only the freshest young buds are used in high quality Dragon Well production. Each bud is carefully hand-picked, which helps ensure the buds remain intact and reduce the chances for any oxidation to happen during processing. It’ll take around 60-100 hand-picked buds to make one cup of tea.
- The unique Sha Qing (‘kill green’) process imbues Dragon Well tea with its intense flavours. The characteristic part of the tea making process which makes green tea green is known as Sha Qing – or ‘kill green’. It’s a simple application of heat to the leaves, which works to both lock in their green state, and so spring-fresh character, and to set the plant compounds inside the leaves in a way which best delivers their flavours. Dragon Well (Longjing) producers have a unique Sha Qing technique.
The characteristic part of the tea making process which makes green tea green is known as Sha Qing – or ‘kill green’. It’s a simple application of heat to the leaves, which works to both lock in their green state, and so spring-fresh character, and to set the plant compounds inside the leaves in a way which best delivers their flavours. Dragon Well (Longjing) producers have a unique Sha Qing technique.
- Here a skilled tea-maker uses a hot wok to lock in the leaves’ spring-fresh flavours, pressing them into their classic flat spear shape. To make Dragon Well (Longjing), after the buds have been allowed to wither for a few hours, they’ll traditionally be pressed against the side of a hot wok. The leaves are heated multiple times in this way. At first the heat will lock the spring-fresh flavours into the leaf, then the leaves will be pressed in a way that will shape them into their characteristic flat spear. Finally, the leaves will go through heat to dry them. It’s a highly skilled process which takes between 40 minutes and one hour. Tea makers like Wen need to balance the timing of each stage and apply enough heat to draw out the chestnut flavours, without any hint of burn – or loss of the spring-fresh character.
To make Dragon Well (Longjing), after the buds have been allowed to wither for a few hours, they’ll traditionally be pressed against the side of a hot wok. The leaves are heated multiple times in this way. At first the heat will lock the spring-fresh flavours into the leaf, then the leaves will be pressed in a way that will shape them into their characteristic flat spear. Finally, the leaves will go through heat to dry them. It’s a highly skilled process which takes between 40 minutes and one hour. Tea makers like Wen need to balance the timing of each stage and apply enough heat to draw out the chestnut flavours, without any hint of burn – or loss of the spring-fresh character.
- The “grandpa style” of infusing Dragon Well tea is popular in Hangzhou, showing how easy it can be to drink this tea. Finding flavour in Dragon Well (Longjing) can be very easy! All around Hangzhou, tea drinkers will simply add a pinch of their fresh leaves to a glass and top it up with hot water – it’s way of making tea known as “grandpa style”.
Finding flavour in Dragon Well (Longjing) can be very easy! All around Hangzhou, tea drinkers will simply add a pinch of their fresh leaves to a glass and top it up with hot water – it's a way of making tea known as “grandpa style”.
