Longjing tea, also known as Dragon’s Well tea, is one of the top famous teas of China. It is a hand-made and pan-roasted green tea grown in Hangzhou’s Longjing village of China’s Zhejiang Province.
In the olden times, Longjing tea was popular as the “emperor’s tea” and “imperial tea” (Gong Cha). The tea is reckoned among the best green teas in the world.
About Longjing Tea
Huge mountain ranges, foggy days, heavy rainfall, and moderate temperatures define the Zhejiang Province. And therefore, it is perfect for the cultivation of Longjing tea.
The tea is also popular as “shade-grown tea” because the weather it requires for cultivation is a cloud cover or heavy fog.
Like matcha and sencha, Longjing green tea has a higher absorption of antioxidants and chlorophyll that add up to the body’s wellness. Besides, it tastes pretty decent.
Interestingly, Longjing tea contains more caffeine than other green teas. It also comprises higher volumes of catechins, polyphenols, and amino acids.
Tea picking involves more than just plucking leaves from the tea vine. Harvesting and cultivating Longjing tea requires precision timing, cultural methods, and finesse.
Its harvest takes place in the early spring which ensures it has the highest consistency and taste. The harvest undergoes before the Qingming Festival that begins on April 4th.
The tea is also famous as Pre-Qingming or Ming Qian tea. An early harvest here refers to the use of only the youngest and freshest tea leaves of the plant.
Later, the tea leaves undergo processing and heating in large woks. This makes it the highest-quality and therefore costly tea.
Artisans roast the tea leaves with their hands in a wok. They softly crush the leaves until they reach an ideal roasting temperature.
Some Longjing green teas are roasted and processed with machines to speed up the process (and so are less expensive). To release the scent, the artisans carefully flatten and fold the leaves once dried.
What does Longjing tea taste like?
Longjing or the Dragon well tea is comparatively sweeter compared to any other green teas. If you don’t like the taste of green tea, consider trying Longjing tea for once.
It is believed that the bitterness of tea can be eradicated if the tea is brewed perfectly. It feels like a meadow due to the slightly roasted elusive flavor.
The taste is very mild and subtle.
Longjing tea tastes quite similar to freshly plucked peas and the fragrance is like chestnut. It also gives the flavor of nuts.
Moreover, the aroma stays even after multiple brews. The West Lake is an added advantage of climate change. The cultivation is such that it builds up high nutrition in the leaves and feels much fresh in taste.
An authentic pack of Longjing tea will feel mellow and sweet. Some varieties are grassy and vegetal. It all depends on the kind of cultivation and processing of the Longjing plant.
Overall, since the taste is sweet and nutty, a pack of Longjing tea is a perfect gift for any tea lover.
What Longjing green tea looks like?
Longjing is a green tea with slightly long leaves in comparison to other green tea. The leaves are of a dark green shade initially but get lighter after drying.
However, what sets it apart from other green teas is the color. While others are yellow-green, the Longjing tea is light yellow.
These tea leaves contain Vitamin C and amino acids. They also have catechins in high concentration.
Other elements included in the tea are sodium, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and calories.
How much caffeine does Longjing tea contain?
A study reveals that a normal tea contains 50% of caffeine as compared to coffee. Likewise, the Longjing/dragon well tea also contains caffeine with not so large quantities like that of coffee.
Normally, a cup of Longjing tea consists as much as caffeine a cup of black tea does.
In practical terms, 5g of a Longjing tea will have approximately 48mg caffeine. On a positive note, the caffeine present in it is very soothing.
How is Longjing tea produced exactly?
Longjing green tea needs lots of water to grow. Lack of required water content for the new shoots will make it impossible to grow the Longjing tea.
The tea, therefore, grows only in those regions that have 2000-3000mm annual rain precipitation. In addition, to grow, it requires a temperature between 10 degrees Celsius to 20 degrees Celsius.
Moreover, the Longjing tea can never grow in direct sunlight. It requires a specific amount and level of sunlight. And since, Hangzhou in China has all the required conditions for the growth of Longjing, most of the tea production takes place there.
Once grown, like any other tea, experienced artisans hand-pluck Longjing green tea from the fields. Thereafter, it undergoes the drying process.
The artisans dry the leaves on a bamboo sieve for approximately half a day. Drying is very important as it helps reduce bitterness in the leaves.
Likewise, drying also helps store the elements and amino acids in the leaves keeping its fragrance alive.
After drying, the next step is to fry the leaves. Frying is important to get rid of leftover moisture. Workers heat the pan at approximately 80-100 degrees Celsius manually.
During the process, a little vegetable oil is used too. The frying process takes place for approximately 12-15 minutes. The tea is then all set to sell in the market.
Health Benefits of Longjing Tea
As the “Qing Dynasty” legend validates, this mysterious tea has a plethora of health benefits. The tea undergoes limited oxidation during the processing course, preserving the bulk of vitamins, amino acids, and the well-known antioxidant “Catechins.”
1. Relaxes the mind
Owing to caffeine’s stimulant influence in tea, this tea tends to retain energetic and mental alertness. At the same time, the amino acid “L-Theanine” assists in stimulating and relaxing the mind giving it a calming effect.
It also soothes our heart making us feel refreshed and relieved from stress.
So, if you’ve had a long day, too much work pressure, or probably something’s bothering you much, the Longjing green tea can help you calm down!
2. Prevents Cancer
Longjing tea’s “catechins” are an outstanding source of antioxidants. These elements can neutralize toxic free radicals in the human body, shielding the body from diseases such as cancer.
A study has shown that if dragon well tea was taken twice a day, it can reduce the chance of cancer by 70%. This study has been proved for men.
3. Balances the blood sugar levels
Longjing tea has an ingredient that is called “myricetin.” It can regulate insulin production in people with type 2 diabetes.
In addition, a high level of catechins in the tea helps reduce blood sugar levels.
4. Gives a slow aging process
While Longjing green tea is regarded as a miracle drink, research says that increased antioxidant production can prolong the human lifespan. In addition, the presence of antioxidants and L-theanine in the tea inhibit the aging process.
5. Helps Control the heart problems
The Longjing green tea can help reduce all heart problems by at least 10%. It improves the functioning of blood vessels, lowers the level of blood pressure, and reduces the chances of heart stroke.
6. Help lose weight
The presence of polyphenols in the tea helps minimize the effect of high-fat meals to large extent. In addition, Longjing tea can burn up to 100 calories in a day.
Also, it helps you get rid of obesity and increases the metabolism rapidly.
Various substances in the Longjing tea such as caffeine, folic acid, inositol, and pantothenic acid contribute to adjusting the fat metabolism.
In addition, vitamin C and tea polyphenols help the body get rid of blood lipid and bad cholesterol. This makes Longjing green tea consumption help lose weight.
7. Improves oral health
The fluoride and minerals present in the green tea leaves fight bad breath, tooth decay, and dental plaque. It halts down the bacterial infections in the mouth.
A cleaner and fresh oral health will mean lowered digestive issues too. Hence, Longjing can do wonders for both the oral and digestive health of the body.
8. Diuretic
The components such as caffeine and theophylline deliver a diuretic result helpful in curing edema. The black tea in Longjing green tea proves to be beneficial in the detoxification of the body.
It further treats severe viral hepatitis.
Side Effects of the Longjing Tea
Like other green teas, excessive intake of Longjing green tea can lead to adverse effects. The presence of caffeine is often linked to insomnia. One may feel restless, have a stomach ache, or gastritis issues.
In addition, some may experience an amplified heart rate. The tea may also raise the risk of anemia as it decreases the capacity to digest iron by approx. 25%.
Experts do not suggest green tea for pregnant women. Because the caffeine content may cause congenital disabilities.
How to brew Longjing tea correctly?
Prefer using loose leaf tea instead of tea bags to enjoy the high quality and best taste. The loose tea is of better quality than tea bags, as it only holds the dust and fanning of tea leaves.
Even for the most natural taste, use filtered water or spring water instead of tap water.
Also, consider brewing the Longjing tea at lower temperatures, that is, at 170 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit (76 to 82 degrees Celsius).
Moreover, to enjoy many superlative results, heat the water in a temperature-controlled kettle. If you don’t have one, bring water to a low simmer and then let it cool for 2 minutes before pouring into your teapot to steep.
To start with the brewing process, here’s what you need to do. Skip step 1 if you have clean leaves.
Brewing method for Longjing/West Lake Dragon Well Tea (Image Source – chinahighlights.com) Clean the leaves. Take 50 ml boiling water in a cup of Longjing green tea. Swirl and then pour out the water. This will clean off the dust if any.
- Now boil 150ml water at 85 degrees Celsius. Take a spoon of leaves in the teapot. Add the boiling water. Cover it with a lid and let it be for 7 minutes so that the tea leaves have enough time to absorb in the water.
- You are ready to have your perfect cup of Longjing tea. It’s good to have a cup twice to thrice a day!
Varieties of Longjing tea
There are multiple varieties of Longjing tea. Each varies in different aspects such as taste, cost, packaging, etc. A few of them available in the market are as follows:
Xi Hu Longjing tea
The Xi Hu Longjing tea derives its name from the place of its origin. This variety of tea grows in the Zhejiang Province of China situated near the Xi Hu lake.
The Xi Hu Longjing tea is also renowned as the West lake Longjing for the fact that the lake is sited in the west of China. It is one of the most famous and costly tea types in China.
Other names for Xi Hu Longjing tea are Lion Brand West Lake Dragonwell and Shi Pai Xi Hu Lung Ching.
The taste of Xu Hu is as pleasant as the taste of grapefruit. The fragrance gives the reflection of nuts and fruits. The appearance of leaves is flat and quite narrow in size.
The cultivation of Xi Hu mainly takes place in the months of spring.
Qiantang Longjing
This tea is produced in the area opposite Xi Hu lake. While it is a popular tea type in China, it is not as costly as Xi Hu Longjing. The cultivators do not use any machinery to cultivate the tea.
The experienced workers perform the whole process with their hands. It is plucked in the season of Qian tang only. The leaves give the aroma of fruits and nuts. The after taste is pretty fresh and gives a hint of grapes.
Qian Tang Longjing is also known as Qian tang dragon well and Qian tang Ling Ching.
The plucking season is spring usually after the 5th of April. The leaves of Qian Tang Longjing are narrower in size. This is one of the high-quality teas available at a cheap price.
Bird’s tongue Longjing
This variety of Longjing is the sweetest and the fragrance is also mind-blowing. Since the growth of the tea depends only on climate, it is the most expensive tea among all Longjing.
Pre Qingming Longjing
The pre-Qingming Longjing tea derives its name from one of China’s festivals, Qingming. Each year in April before the festival, this tea has been plucked from the fields.
The entire process of preparing this tea is very short. People start plucking the tea leaves 10 days before the festival and complete the process within a week or two.
Pre Qingming is also very expensive because it requires experienced farmers to pick leaves manually.
Shi Feng Longjing
It is a type of Xi Hu tea. The fragrance of Shi Feng Longjing tea is amazing and lasts long. The taste is also good. Shi Feng has its origin from Hangzhou near West Lake and is also known as Lion Peak Longjing.
Plucked in early spring, the color of the leaves is yellowish-green and the taste is very similar to chestnuts.
Meijiawu Longjing
This tea again is a type of Xi Hu tea. The tea is famous for its leaves color which is jade green. The leaves are flat and quite small in size.
The taste of Mei Jia Wu Longjing is nutty and feels buttery in our mouths. Its fragrance is really sweet. The taste of the tea is a mixture of both classic teas and nutty teas.
The tea leaves are quite heavy and hence require you to add just a small volume to pour your cup of tea.
Bai Longjing
This tea is not a Longjing but very similar to it. The tea is a part of Bai Pian. The leaves are of green color while the trees are of white color. Therefore, this species is very rare.
Bai tea is also famous because it contains more amino acids than any other green tea.
Conclusion
Longjing green tea is nourishing as long as you enjoy it in healthy quantity and not in excess. It is a rich source of antioxidants, catechins, amino acids, and vitamin C.
These components shield against cancer, relaxes the mind, and act as a great stress reliever. In addition, it has diuretic and bactericidal effects.
However, Longjing tea may cause gastrointestinal problems and lead to insomnia. So, it is recommended that you do not drink it on an empty stomach or before going to bed.
Overall, despite the above possible effects, the tea has enormous positive effects which make Longjing tea good for health and well-being.
So, enjoy the splendid asparagus and fresh grassy flavors with a smooth, nutty finish of hazelnut in your perfect cup of Longjing green tea.