Dragon Well (Lung Ching)

Dragon Well is the most famous green tea of China.  It did not come to prominence in the West until it was served to President Nixon during his visit to China in 1972.  But in China it was first described by Lu Yu (733-804) in his book The Classic of Tea (Cha Jing).

Not far from Hangzhou City, 2 hours SW of Shanghai, lies a small, beautiful village.  The village has an ancient well, connected to the sea, in which lives a powerful dragon.  One year the village was desperate for rain, so they prayed to the dragon.  He sent rain, and so the village and its tea got their name.

The four traditional characteristics of Dragon Well are “green hue, strong fragrance, mellow flavour, beautiful leaf”.  The dry tea looks like flattened emerald needles, and when steeped they stand upright in the cup.  The tea has a distinct chestnut flavour.

To brew, place one tsp per person in a warmed pot and add boiled water that has cooled for one minute.  Brew for 1 min, then stir and steep for a further minute.  You can use the leaves again twice.  Locals brew Lung Ching in a heavy glass so they can watch the leaves unfurling.

If you love Dragon Well  then you may also enjoy our Yunnan Green tea.