Description
What is West Lake Longjing tea?
West Lake Longjing, a green tea that is produced in the mountains around Longjing Village, West Lake, Hangzhou, China. It has a history of more than 1200 years. It was served to the imperial family as imperial tea since the Qing Dynasty.
Premium West Lake Longjing tea is flat, smooth, and straight, with a tender green color, fresh and sweet taste. Longjing tea harvested before the Qingming Festival is referred to as Pre-Qingming Longjing or Pre-Qingming Dragonwell, and the one harvested before the rainy season GuYu is called Pre-Yu Longjing or Pre-Yu Dragonwell.
West Lake Longjing is produced in the mountains around West Lake. The climate here is mild, with abundant rainfall and diffuse light. The soil is slightly acidic, deep, and well-drained. The forest is lush and the streams are always flowing. The annual average temperature is 16℃ and the annual precipitation is around 1500mm. The superior natural conditions have made West Lake Longjing the top green tea in China
Brewing Tips:
- Brewing temperature: 85-95°C
- Brewing duration: 180+ seconds
Jorge Luis Vázquez Ochoa –
Made in two different ways:
First 3.5 grs. in a large glass vessel at 180 Farenheit. First infusions 3 minutes, second 3.5 min., Thirth 4 minutes, forth 5 minutes, five 6 minutes.
It’s difficult to explain when you find a really outstanding tea. How to describe it?. It’s nutty, sweet, floral frutal, vegetal, spicy… all combined in a really fantastic balance and with a long long afterstate. When I contacted the producer I ask him about his best Longjing tea. It was not in his webpage because it’s expensive, but it’s a real fully handmade qunti Longjing. The producer it’s not on the top growth area (Shifeng, meijiawu, etc.) he is near to this areas. But, when you buy a Longjing here in western countries…do you know if it’s machine or handmade?, are you shure that it’s authentic xihu longjing?, does it have certification of authenticity?, do you trust in your seller?.
You must question all this because must of xihu longjing in the market is fake.
Of course this is the best Longjing that I’ve tried. Seven Cups, Mei Leaf, Verdant Tea, What Cha, etc. I’ve tried all these. Nothing to do with this monumental tea: it’s not bitter at all. It’s a tea that it’s able to experiment with water ratio and temperatures. Less temperature it’s sweeter, more temperature it’s complex and full of flavor.
Second, I steeped in a 80 cc gaiwan, 3.5 grs.first infusion 15 secs. and adding 5 secs. each successive infusion untill 13th. infusions.
The first was surprisingly sweet, with a subtle nice afterstate. From second infusion the tea win in strength, vegetal flavor, nuttyness and long afterstate. The result was a really fine tea with a lot of variation in it’s flavor.
If you want to try a real multidimensional green tea, full of flavor and strength with an apotheotic final try it. Maybe you’ll find one of the best experience with a green tea in your life.