Teavivre, 2014 Organic Superfine Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea

Teavivre Description:
Superior grade, 100% certified organic green tea, our Organic Superfine Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea is handmade in Hangzhou used traditional methods. With a slightly sweet, delicate orchid like aroma , it combines a great tasting tea with great health benefits.

Harvest time: April 15, 2014

Sample provided by Teavivre

My Review:
I hesitate to use my own pictures as Teavivre has some of the most beautiful leaf pictures of their products. In keeping with my new direction of using my own work as exclusively as possible I trudge on. As you can see the leaf is several shades of green from yellowish tinted to forest green.

The aroma out of the bag is pleasantly sour and sweet. It always reminds me of fields of freshly baled hay. I used half the sample or about 3.5 g in my clear teapot along with 10 oz of 185 F water. The steep time on the label is 1 to 6 minutes, in trying to compromise with western tastes. I use 2 minutes when steeping a mug full and much shorter times with a gaiwan.

Once the water hits the leaf, I become a Pavlov dog. Seriously, the scent is so wonderful. I recall back just a few years ago being totally satisfied with my little grocery store bag of green tea. I must confess, I still think some of it tastes pretty good, but you aren't going to get this kind of glorious scent out of a paper bag.

Check out how most of the leaf remains hanging from the surface of the water. The liquor looks nearly clear under the lights. It turns more of a light honey yellow in the mug. I used a strainer when pouring, to keep the two leaves and a bud out out my mug.

What can I say about the taste that wasn't said in my 2013 review of this tea? First off, can I tell a difference between this years offering and last? Nope. Too much time has elapsed between them. Either way, the short version is they are both excellent.

Lately a lot of the green teas seem to remind me of corn. This is no exception. Maybe it is even popcorn. It isn't so much buttery as it is milky and thick. It is quite crisp with a good edge that suggests bitter but isn't. There is also a lot of just good clean greeness in the mug. There really isn't a better way for me to describe it. This is spring in a mug.

When reviewing the Tai Ping Hou Kui, I remarked that its taste was similar but completely different than Dragon Well. Today, I would say the similarity ends with them both being green and tasty. Dragon Well is such a wonderful tea. I love it hot or cold and all points in between. Just make it a good one like this, for maximum effect.

You can find this and other great teas at Teavivre.