West Lake Dragon Well green tea ❦ 西湖 龍井茶
Of the unofficial "Ten Famous Chinese Teas", Dragon Well is by far the most famous.
The name originates from the town it's produced in, where there is a "dragon well" in which a benevolent dragon once lived. The water in the well is very dense and when lighter rainwater flows into the well, it swirls on top, resembling a dragon. It is possible this natural phenomenon is the origin of the dragon that once lived here, but China also used to have giant, serpent like fish that were known as dragons. So, perhaps there really was a dragon! ^_^
The most recognizable characteristic of Dragon Well tea is the way it is carefully pressed along the inside vein during roasting. The flattened leaves, with long, jagged points are like the shed scales of the tea dragon. Opening a fresh package of Dragon Well fills the space with the sweet, grassy fragrance. The leaves have an olive green hue with yellowish patches on them.
I heat the teapot and drop a couple of heaping scoops in. The sent of the tea intensifies. Generally, a pot should be filled to about a third, but with Dragon Well, it's nice to add even more. Also, green tea usually requires much cooler water, about 70-80ºC, but Dragon Well can handle 90ºC water, provided the first five infusions are kept to five seconds each. Cooler water tends to produce a sweeter tea, but hot water brings out a more complex bitterness. It's the unique boldness of the sweet and intrigue of the bitter, like dew from the dragon's breath, that makes Dragon Well so good.
The tea liquor is yellower than usual for green tea, which usually has more of a jade colour. Looking closely at the surface of the tea, you can make out the little specks of tea hairs. This is good, it means the leaves were picked young and are of high quality.
A true "West Lake" Dragon Well tea, from the town of Hang Zhou, in Zhejiang Province, just South-West of Shanghai, has the best, most complex, long-lasting taste. Though it's much more subtle than an oolong or puerh tea, every once in a while, throughout the day, after drinking this tea, a pleasant reminder of its taste emerged in my mouth.
Like other high quality green teas, when you are finished brewing, the tender leaves can also be eaten
link to The Chinese Teashop:
Beautiful! Sitting here sipping on my "found treasure" of Dragon Well!
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