Long Jing Dragonwell Tea

Long Jing Dragonwell Tea 龍井茶 is a very famous Chinese green tea from Zhejiang Province. In the spring, Long Jing is harvested and usually the first harvests prior to the Chinese holiday "qing ming" are the most expensive and prized. This tea is also pan-fried and most often by hand which requires a high level of skill and experience to "feel" when the tea is ready. This "handmade" aspect is definitely something I am beginning to admire more and more.

A few years ago, a friend of mine visited Hangzhou in Zhejiang and brought me back some long jing tea. I didn't finish the container as I'm more of a fan of oolong tea and I didn't realize at the time that these teas need to be drunk within the year. But since it was still in my cupboard, I decided to bring it out to taste. Now I know that the quality of green tea degrades very quickly, freshness only lasts about 9 months so the taste of this tea should be quite poor. It really is too bad that I didn't consume it all earlier.

To compare, I also brewed some Long Jing that we had sampled in class and I was lucky to bring some back home (purchased from Tao Tea Leaf teashop).

Above: Dry leaves of the old Long Jing tea, some leaves are brownish and the leaves are quite lackluster which is probably a result of aging. The container it came it may not have been airtight either.

Above: Dry leaves of the new Long Jing, not sure when it was plucked though.

Comparing the infused leaf, (L) new: light greenish/yellow and plumper looking, (R) old: darker green and brownish tinge.

Infused liquid: (L) new, (R) old. The aroma of the liquid was more pronounced in the new leaves: vegetal, hint of roasting, and a slight floral accent to it.

Tasting notes:
The new Long Jing tea was more fragrant, had more flavour (vegetal), and had more body (light - medium). It was not bitter and only upon cooling was there a hint of bitterness but this was not unpleasant. I was hoping that there would be more of a sweet after taste but that didn't happen.

The old Long Jing tea was overall bland. It was a bit bitter and as you can see above, the leaves have some browning and the liquor is darker yellow. Unfortunately, it will need to be discarded.

Good rule of thumb - purchase green tea in small quantities and drink within the year otherwise, it will be wasted.