Premium Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea

This is the second green tea I recently purchased from TeaVivre. I have had Dragonwell once before, from Teavana, and it was pretty good-I figured this would be better, and it is.

The dry leaves are a pine needle green and they are actually the size and shape of “needles” on artificial Christmas trees. However, there is nothing artificial about this. The dry leaf aroma is vegetal and spinach-like. The fragrance is pleasantly intensified after a 3 second rinse in 175 degree water (the brewing temperature). I kinda want to pretend I grew this in my garden. Brewed leaf is brighter green and smells much the same with a bit of creaminess added.

First steep was 2tsp/175/1:30. The liquor is a very pale greenish yellow and fairly transparent (I’ve had “cloudy” greens in the past). Not too much of a surprise in the flavor-a very pleasant spinach and cream taste. To me it tastes much like TV’s Xin Yang Mao Jian. In fact, I am going to have a taste off soon, because they taste fairly similar to me-I am very envious of those of you with “advanced palates” who can glean more complex and subtle notes out of teas.

2nd Steep-175/1:45
Liquor about the same-can’t really get much paler. Flavor is still solid-slightly weaker, but not much. Flavors are the same-spinach and cream. Refreshing and delicious. Zero bitterness. Could probably go for a third steep.

I have been very happy with my green tea purchases from TeaVivre. I tend to drink 80-90% black tea and I’ve been wanting some lighter greens to balance out my tea drinking. These work well and I will be drinking a lot of this and Xin Yang Mao Jian for the foreseeable future.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen tea leaves that look quite like this- the flatness of them is really interesting. But anyway,
I study Japan for a living, so I wind up drinking a lot of Japanese green tea. This Chinese green is a really different experience. For one, the brew is a lot more yellow than the vivid green I am used to, and rather than being intensely grassy, it’s got this clean, crisp taste to it that I want to call vaguely floral… but people who hate floral teas would probably like this one and disagree.

Hmmm I had been feeling burnt out on green tea recently, and this might be the short-term solution. It’s really palette cleansing and refreshing. I dig it.

This is the last of the samples I received from Teavivre. I have been meaning to write it up for a while but can only plead extreme ennui, which is a shame because I received a large sample and have been enjoying it regularly for a week now.

The keyword in my excuse above is ‘enjoying’. This is a lovely green tea and it has given me much pleasure. The leaves look beautiful and suspend in the teapot very pleasingly. I generally use a glass teapot for my green teas, and in this case particularly, the visual aesthetic is emphasised by doing so. It smells grassy and slightly nutty. When brewed these flavours come to the fore and I find myself not wanting to swallow the tea because my tastebuds are dancing around in delight as I roll the tea around my mouth. The aftertaste is sweet and I can imagine that my breath now has a nutty, buttery, grassy deliciousness to it as I breathe out. Yes, this is a tea that is well worth savouring and is one I shall add to my buying list.

There isn’t much difference that I can taste between Teavivre’s “Superfine” and “Premium” grade. I also find their naming system a little confusing, but I guess it is hard to market a tea as 3rd/4th best?

This is a “dragonwell”. edited Not really special, or any great notes to detect. I guess my other problem is that it is more expensive than it should be.

For several months now I’ve been preferring black and oolong to green and white teas, but I thought I would try this tea today. Thank you Angel and Teavivre for such generous sample sizes! I have enough here for many many steepings.

This is very pleasant. Mild, sweet, and with the characteristic Dragonwell taste. The green taste is more vegetable than grassy, and like I said, mild. I’ve had many green Oolongs that had a much more vegetal taste, so this tea is a nice break from my usual. Don’t mistake ‘mild’ for flavorless, though. I think this could easily be oversteeped, to my tastes anyway. Keep the water temperature low and don’t overleaf! I used a little over 2 tsp and I think next time I will use less. Lots of flavor in these leaves.

Thank you again Teavivre for the chance to try this yummy tea!

Another generous sample provided, another good quality green tea. It calmed me down from my “back-to-work-after-vacation” mood. Crisp finish, a buttery start, but not vegetal or hay-like in the cup (just faintly in the dry-leaf aroma). I steeped it the usual way and it met expectations, though on my list of personal preferences, it’s third on the list behind different Japanese greens, and Silver Needle. It has a relative sweetness to it, but it didn’t seem to fully commit to a particular profile. Very smooth, drinkable, go-to green tea, and I would have no problem recommending it to those who are looking for a smoother, less-grassy green tea experience. I just happen to be one of those mavericks who likes stronger flavors when I’m craving a green.

This tea is fascinating before you even brew it. The leaves are flat and green like shards of fresh palm leaves. The pre-brewed leaves also have a fragrant grassy aroma.

After brewing at two minutes (as recommended) using a temperature of 175 degrees, the tea had a pale yellow color. At first taste, I thought I was experiencing some bitterness. After several sips, though, I realized that this was just a floral and reedy aftertaste.

The more I slurped this tea, the better I liked it. The grassy, nutty flavor is light and strong at the same time. If you close your eyes while sipping, you can imagine yourself sitting in a lush green grassy meadow, surrounded by flowers and a thick forest, while a soft breeze swirls around you.

Although I’m not a huge green tea fan (I prefer the bolder black tea blends), I find this Teavivre tea likable and engrossing. For a green tea, it has plenty of flavor to hold my interest.

Something of an experiment in time and temperature. The flavor is really great! Smooth and sweet with a rosemary woody tang and the aroma of cloves. I think this tea definitely likes cooler water.

YUMMM! Just got my package and ripped right into this one. The first brew was a delightful green tea. It reminded me of the green tea served at sushi bars in Japan, except higher quality. The leaves were also so large and long, I was so surprised. Both the tea and the tea leaves smell wonderful.

At first it had a typical green tea smell, then as it cooled it somehow smelled spicier, I’m not sure how to explain it. The flavor was rich and woodsy.

The second steep was more seaweedy and grassy, but not in a bad way at all. I’m very glad I bought a lot of it because I can see it becoming a staple. Would recommend it to anyone who likes green tea.

Dry Leaf: There is a sweet toasty or nutty aroma.
Wet Leaf: There is a sweet vegetal bean aroma with a faint toasty or nutty aroma too.
Liquor: Light pale sort of golden color. Good brightness and clarity.
Tatse: I get a smooth but sweet vegetal bean taste with a faint toasty or nutty flavor.
My Score/ Over All Opinion: 92, I think this tea was a pleasant and I enjoyed it. You are getting quality tea with a nice price.