Dragon Well, this is one of my favourite teas, I have tried quite a few top quality grades and found one in particularly nice in that it had a very sweet note and heavy chestnutty after taste, delicious. However I went out and purchsed some more from two different vendors and was very disappointed as the nutty taste was very weak, in both of them. Can anyone enlighten me on the different leaves of lung ching and what to look for to find that sweet nutty flavour .
..Maurice
Maurice
I agree with you. Dragonwell is pan fried, and unlike the steamed Japanese green tea, it gives a nice chestnut like fragrance. Very nice. Of course, if they over fry it it becomes burnt.
There a couple of articles on dragonwell below that discuss the tea is great details. I hope it is useful.
All You Need To Know About Dragonwell Tea
What Is So Special About Longjing Tea
Julian
There are a couple of reasons why this may be the case.
Firstly, not all tea sold as lung ching is genuine lung ching. Many other regions replicate this tea because of it's fame. The vendor may not even be aware of this, unless they know what a genuine lung ching tastes like.
Secondly, lung ching harvested in spring is a lot sweeter than lung ching harvested in other seasons.
Thirdly, you need to know what the age of the lung ching is that you are buying. Try to buy lung ching that is less than two years old.
Fourthly, lung ching will taste better during some years than others.
And lastly, every batch of lung ching might be produced on a different day, from a slightly different growing area, and made by a different factory or tea maker and this will also determine the taste of the tea.
If your tea doesn't have the sweetness, I would suggest that it is either not a spring harvest tea or it is too old. As for the lack of chestnut flavour I would suggest that the tea you are buying is either old, or that it is a replica of the original lung ching but not grown in Hangzhou.
Adrian
Thanks for the clarifications, the lung ching that got me fired up was a 2005 crop, I will find out what region it is from. I am visiting china in April and was advised to visit the west lake for the real experience. Anyone been there or have any contacts or advice for me. Thanks Maurice
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