Dragon Well Single Cultivar Long Jing #43

Origin: Jin Long Ping Village, Xuan En County, Hubei Province, China
Cultivar: Long Jing #43
Elevation: 750 - 800m
Harvest: March 27, 2022

This Dragon Well is comprised of tender buds and leaves harvested during the early spring Mingqian harvest season, resulting in a rich, dewy, and sweet infusion. Dragon Well is a well-known, Chinese “tribute tea” once given as a tax payment to Chinese emperors and gifted to presidents and dignitaries of the modern age. This batch is produced with the traditional tea bush cultivar named Long Jing #43 (literally, “Dragon Well #43”). It offers the classic Dragon Well profile of fresh spring greens balanced with chestnut sweetness and mild toasted aroma.

Dragon Well is a pan-roasted green tea produced by “flat-frying” the tea leaves in hot wok shaped pans until the dried tealeaves take on a flag spear shaped, blade-like appearance. The heat and tossing action carried out in the hot woks initiates the Maillard reaction in the slight roasting and toasting tealeaves, resulting in a pleasant roasted chestnut aroma, alpine herbs, and sweet grass.