Dragonwell Green Tea Review | Spring Dew From Hangzhou, China

Dragonwell Green Tea Review Summary

Dragonwell Green Tea Review

Dragonwell green tea: the magical spring dew from Hangzhou China

If you want to know what on earth Longjing or Dragonwell green tea is and what it tastes like, I am here to answer your questions! Keep reading for my Dragonwell/ Longjing green tea review.

My husband’s friend recently traveled to China, specifically to the Hangzhou province, and he brought back some Dragonwell green tea as a gift! How lovely!

For those of you who don’t know, China is the birthplace of tea and Longjing is one of the most popular types of Chinese green tea. And the West Lake area in the Hangzhou province is famous for this special green tea!

According to popular legend, Emperor Qianlong once picked Longjing tea leaves from the base of Lion Peak Mountain. Upon receiving news of his mother’s illness, he carelessly packed the tea leaves in his sleeve and rushed to her bedside. 

The beautiful fragrance of the leaves enticed the Emperor’s mother and the tea was immediately brewed for her. After drinking 3 cups of the Longjing tea, she was completely cured and she announced the Longjing tea as the remedy for all maladies.

To this day, premium-grade Longjing tea is quite expensive and is considered a prestigious gift.

So you can imagine how delighted I was to have the opportunity to try one of the best Chinese green teas straight from its place of origin. While I didn’t get the top-tier high-end tea, it was still one of the best green teas I’ve had. 

Brewing Conditions:

So I initially brewed this tea with 1 tbsp of tea leaves in about 2 cups of water. The tea was still great but eventually started to taste bitter. Hence I learned that less is more.

You want to make sure you don’t brew this tea at a temperature higher than 80 degrees as it will make the tea bitter. Use about 1 tsp for ¾ cup of water. 

The Longjing tea has a very mellow flavor so a small volume of water in a small teapot or cup will be great for packing in the maximum flavor.

Longjing tea is also great for brewing ‘grandpa style’.

Grandpa style is an old Chinese method of tea brewing where you pour the hot water directly over the leaves in the cup, and you drink the tea without straining the leaves. I have yet to try this method, but if I do I will let you know.

Aroma (5/5):

When I opened the packet of tea, I could only describe the aroma as nothing short of blissful. It smelled so beautifully fragrant, that I felt a bit of a head rush. The smell was intoxicating.

Taste (4.5/5):

After brewing the tea, it was a very light, pale yellow color. The color of the tea was reflective of its taste. The Longjing tea was very mellow with sweet, woody, and nutty flavors. 

There was also a delicious umami aftertaste. While the tea tasted light at first, it slowly started to feel creamier and richer in texture.

Packaging (5/5):

The packaging was excellent. The tea came in an aluminum packet in an airtight metal tin.

On one side of the tin was a line that I looked up on Google Translate. I’m sure Google butchered it and  it sounded more poetic in Mandarin, but it was something like this:

‘A cup of spring dew keeps the guest for a while; the air under his arms almost makes him feel like a fairy.’

When I sipped on the Longjing tea, I truly did almost feel like a fairy.

Caffeine Level: Medium

The caffeine level is medium. It’s perfect for the morning or afternoon, but best to avoid it right before bedtime. 

Food Pairings:

Because the Dragonwell green tea is so light and mellow, it would pair well with salads or light cheese.

Green teas in general pair really well with seafood. Dragonwell tea in particular is used in a popular Chinese shrimp stir fry recipe, which I intend to try soon!