Long Jing Dragon Well

Umami

Floral

Recyclable Packaging

Pesticide Free

Long Jing, which literally translates as Dragon Well, refers to green tea produced by West Lake, near Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, China. The tea has been produced there at least since the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE)! As a one-time imperial tribute tea, it belongs to the upper echelon of Chinese teas in terms of prestige.

Long Jing tea is traditionally pan-fired to create its distinctive spear-like shape, nutty, sweet, vegetal taste and jade-green leaf colour.  Legend tells of a dragon that lived in a well by the lake, which responded to locals’ prayers during a period of drought by bringing the rains and allowing them to grow a fine crop. Tea grown in this region was therefore named after it in gratitude.

Long Jing‘s status as an imperial tribute tea came about during the Qing Dynasty, the last great dynasty of the Chinese Emperors. Accounts differ as to whether the status was granted by the Kangxi Emperor or his beloved grandson, the Qianlong Emperor. One version claims that sometime in the early-mid 18^th Century, the latter visited Lion Peak Mountain in the West Lake area and was greatly impressed by the fragrance of the local tea. He brought some home to his sick mother, who was equally impressed and had them brewed up immediately. He went on to claim a selection of the local bushes for exclusive imperial use. Since that point, Long Jing tea has enjoyed great renown in China and beyond. More recently, and under entirely different political circumstances, it was the tea that Mao Zedong chose to serve to Richard Nixon during his 1972 state visit!

These days, Long Jing is a highly popular tea in China and around the world. As with all high quality lowland green tea, it has a full vegetal taste with a subtle sweetness. It also has a pleasant effect on the senses.

This tea is produced using environmentally sustainable methods