Longjing Review

Longjing/Dragon Well tea is one of the most famous green teas from China.  Grown only near Hangzhou with the traditional cultivars and ideal weather conditions, it's easy to see why this was selected as an imperial tea during the Qing dynasty.  As before, Longjing is hand picked and pan fried to halt oxidation, leaving the leaves pressed flat and somewhat brittle.  The Yee on Tea Longjing certainly isn't the highest quality available, with what would be judged as faults aesthetically to the perceiving eye with irregular leaf size and slightly darker color than considered ideal, but for the value for the money, it's hard to find fault in it.  

Like other greens, I've been steeping at a medium boil.  I might stretch the leaves farther than most, but I can take probably 4 steeps before it begins to lose potency.  The tea itself is slightly oily and leaves a visible residue on the teaware, the layer is slightly perceptible in the picture, but that just gives it more flavor so no complaints if I have to scrub a bit harder when cleaning after.  The tea has a pronounced sweet and vegetal, slightly grassy, flavor and a full body, and a very slight nutty note.  When not oversteeped, there is almost no astringency.  That said, it does lack the complexity of some other teas, but it makes up for that with its all around positives.  

To me, this is a year round, every day drinker tea.  It's hard to get wrong, it's always pleasant, and it's well priced.  For food pairings, I've never felt that it clashed with anything, but I've enjoyed it especially with more robust foods like apples, gorgonzola, and baked potatoes.