About this tea

This Dragon Well is comprised of tender buds and leaves harvested during the early spring Mingqian harvest season in the last days of March and first few days of April, resulting in a refreshing, dewy and sweet infusion. Dragon Well is a famous Chinese Tribute Tea once given as a tax payment to Chinese emperors and gifted to presidents and dignitaries in recent times. It was the tea that was presented to Nixon and Kissinger when they first visited China. This 2023 harvest batch was 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 a mild toasted aroma.

Dragon Well is a pan-roasted green tea produced by “flat-frying” the tea leaves in hot wok shaped pans. The dried tea leaves take on a flat, spear shaped, blade-like appearance. The heated stirring, tossing and pressing action carried out in the hot woks initiates the Maillard reaction which slightly roasts and caramelizes the tea leaves. This special artisanal tea making style creates a pleasant roasted chestnut aroma balanced with fresh notes of alpine herbs and sweetgrass.

Origin

Jin Long Ping Village, Xuan’en County, Hubei Province, China

Ingredients

Green tea