Organic Mingqian Dragonwell

Top-grade elegant Dragon Well tea, vintage early Spring 2023. 1. Dry leaf: very uniform, authentic true spear shape. If anyone should inquire, this is machine shaped nowadays. The demand for Lungching is such that hand shaping is no longer possible. They do still rely on "old tea masters" during the shaping process. This was finished last week of March & Qing Ming was April 5th this year. 2. Wet leaves: good way to see the budsets and the quality of the pluck. If one is really interested, an easy way to assess these leaves is to float some in a dish of cold water. Upon inspection, one ought to see that some have turned a paler color, almost celadon, an indication of how young the budsets are. This is why in China this quality of tea is typically brewed and served in tall glasses. The reason budsets are used, rather than individual buds, is to produce more flavor. Single Buds would produce a milder taste. 3. Flavor: no bitterness or astringency. The cup is a paler gold than lower standards. 1st sip: one gets the fresh, bright, lively character of something green. As it settles on the palate, the tea yields some of the nutty notes associated with this signature tea. Swished in the mouth, layers of sweet vegetal flavors become apparent. The finish is clean. For comparison purposes, even a 1st grade Lungching would come across as a more assertive tea, not quite as elegant, even though this is by no means a low grade tea. The leaves are about 2-3 weeks "older" and therefore the cup is a deeper gold. By the time we get to a 3rd grade, the tea is almost a little rougher rather than refined, although still a good representation of this Green, "Place" is a given for this tea, or ought to be, but now that there are Lungchings from other provinces, that sense of place should be underlined, with Zhejiang as the true origin. The Lungching cultivars are numbered, so what really matters here is the timing -- very early in spring and coupled with enough processing experience so that the young sproutings are handled properly, without scorching during the final drying. Use 3g (1 rounded teaspoon) dry leaves per 6 ounces spring water heated to a temperature of 80° to 90° C. (180° to 195° F.), steeping 3-4 minutes.