Shanghainese · drink
Dragon Well Tea
龙井茶 · Lóngjǐng Chá
China's most celebrated green tea — pan-fired flat leaves from Hangzhou's West Lake district with a sweet, chestnut flavour.
Longjing (Dragon Well) is produced in a small protected growing area around the West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. The earliest spring harvest — called Míngqián (pre-Qingming, before early April) — is the most prized, using tiny single buds or bud-plus-one-leaf picked by hand. The leaves are pan-fired immediately after picking in a dry iron wok using a pressing and turning technique that prevents oxidation and gives the leaves their characteristic flat, sword-shaped appearance. The resulting tea brews to a pale jade-green colour with a clean, mildly grassy, nutty-sweet flavour without the bitterness of lesser green teas. It is brewed in a glass or gaiwan with 80°C water (not boiling) and yields two to three infusions. Longjing is also used in cooking — Longjing shrimp (龙井虾仁) is a famous Hangzhou dish.
Where to try
Hangzhou: tea shops and plantations around the Longjing Village and Meijiawu tea-garden area. Also sold at certified tea houses near West Lake. Verify origin carefully — imitations are common.
Dietary notes
Tea only. Vegan, gluten-free. Contains caffeine. High-quality versions are expensive — be cautious of unusually cheap Longjing.
Cities to try Dragon Well Tea
Other east dishes
- Beggar's Chicken叫花鸡
A whole chicken stuffed with aromatics, wrapped in lotus leaves and clay, then slow-baked until the meat steams in its own juices.
- Beggar's Chicken — Jiaohuaji叫花鸡 (江苏式)
A Jiangsu-province variation of clay-baked chicken with a lotus-leaf wrap and a mushroom and pork stuffing.
- Drunken Chicken醉鸡
Chicken steamed and marinated in Shaoxing rice wine, served chilled. A Shanghai banquet starter.
- Eight-Treasure Rice八宝饭
A steamed dome of glutinous rice layered with red bean paste and decorated with eight types of preserved fruits and nuts.