Longjing (Dragon Well) Tea

Longjing tea — Dragon Well tea — is China's most celebrated green tea and one of the country's ten traditionally recognised famous teas. It is grown in the hills surrounding West Lake (Xi Hu) in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, where the microclimate and soil conditions produce a leaf with particular sweetness and low astringency. The name comes from a spring in the Longjing village area where, according to local accounts, water and rain were once said to meet at depth.

The leaves are harvested by hand and processed almost immediately to prevent oxidation. The defining production step is pan-firing: the freshly picked leaves are placed in large iron woks and pressed and turned continuously by hand over moderate heat. This kills the enzymes that would cause oxidation (as in oolong or black tea production), drives off moisture, and imparts the leaf's characteristic flat, straight shape — each leaf ends up resembling a small narrow sword or tongue. The pressing against the hot pan also produces the slightly toasty edge in the finished tea's flavour profile.

The most prized grades are harvested before the Qingming festival (清明) in early April, when the first growth of the year produces the smallest, most tender buds. Pre-Qingming Longjing commands the highest prices, with premium lots reaching several thousand yuan per hundred grams; drinking-grade teas from later harvests are available at much lower prices in tea markets across China.

Brewing is straightforward: water at 75 to 80 degrees Celsius (not boiling, which would scorch the leaves and produce bitterness), steeped for two to three minutes. The flavour is clean, vegetal, and mildly sweet with a lingering aftertaste. Multiple infusions are possible from the same leaves. In Hangzhou, locals may use West Lake water; elsewhere, soft low-mineral water is preferred.

Longjing tea is sold directly from farms in Meijiawu and Longjing villages outside Hangzhou, which are accessible as day trips from the city. Tea markets in Hangzhou's Wulin Square area and in the Meijiawu village cooperative offer a range of grades with tasting before purchase.