Dragonwell, Lung Ching Imperial Green Tea,

Alright, get a load of this.........

Imperial Dragonwell is the Queen of Green Tea. A classic Chinese green tea. Beautiful shape, emerald color, sweetish refined taste. Lung Ching Tea - AKA Dragon Well is produced by hand through a 10 part process. The tea used to produce Dragon Well is grown by the side of West Lake in Zhejiang Province. Dragon Well is distinguished by its beautiful shape, emerald color, scented smell and tending sweet floral character. In Chinese culture Dragon Well is looked upon as an excellent gift to give to your friends as once it was a gift to emperors. In ancient times top Dragon Well tea was the tea of emperors and special dignitaries. The secret was in the plucking! Known as imperial plucking. Young virgins, gloved and using gold scissors delicately plucked the stem and placed it into a golden basket. The tea was only plucked once a year during March and early April before the Clear Light Festival, otherwise the tea could not have the moniker Imperial. Today the plucking process has changed somewhat (the time of plucking has not changed) but it is fascinating to know the tradition behind this marvelous tea. Like most other Chinese green tea, Longjing tea leaves are pan fried to stop the fermentation process. Longjing tea contains Vitamin C, amino acids, and the highest concentration of catechins among teas. Hot tea brewing method: When preparing by the cup, this tea can be used repeatedly - about 3 times. The secret is to use water that is about 180 degrees F or 80 degrees C. Place 1 teaspoon in your cup, let the tea steep for about 3 minutes and then begin enjoying a cup of enchantment - do not remove the leaves from the cup. Once the water level is low - add more water, and so on and so on - until the flavor of the tea is exhausted. Look at the pattern of the leaves in the brew, not only do they foretell your fortune but you can see the bud and shoots presenting themselves, looking like they are about to be plucked by young virgins.

Whoa! I had no idea what I was drinking! Well, I knew it was pretty good, a lot like the Japanese Sencha. In fact there is some similarities in the taste of these two teas. That must be because they are both pan fried. The brewed Dragonwell is a little bit greener, and like the above description says "A sweetish, refined taste". I would also add that it's a bit earthy, but that could just be the mellowness. The dried leaves are bigger than the Sencha, and for some reason they're flat.

So drink up. You'll feel like the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty even if you don't have any lackey's to command. I like to take a sip, look down my nose at everyone, and state quite plainly that everyone will be "Scrutinized, assessed, and dealt with accordingly".