Dragon Well - Lung Ching

After a busy Monday, I wanted a nice green tea with its lower caffeine and its characteristic buttery taste. Knowing that Dragon Well (Lung Ching) has a reputation for being the champagne of Chinese green teas and that it’s known as being a fairly light tea, I thought that this was the ideal time for me to try this tea.

The dry leaf is long and pretty and fairly flat. It’s green but not the neon green of some Japanese greens. It smells a but nutty with hints at complexity that will arise with steeping. Brewed at approximately 175 degrees, the results are very pleasing. The brew is mid-yellow in color and the aroma is both vegetal and nutty. It is not particularly sweet on its own but I will use some sugar crystals when I’m half way done.

The tea is a great drink unfolding layers of nuttiness and some vegetation—not so much that you can call it a “spinach” or an “artichoke” tea but enough so that the vegetal taste plays a strong second fiddle to the primary taste of roasted or toasted nuts—I’d like to say roasted walnuts more than other kinds of nuts. It’s very satisfying and would make a great accompaniment to a meal or as an after-dinner tea. It would also be a great afternoon tea.

SECOND infusion: This Dragon Well has not lost anything but has gained perhaps more of a nutty focus. I added a few sugar crystals and the added sweetness was nice. There were not enough crystals to take away from the tea’s essential flavor. I would serve this to myself without the sugar but would offer some sugar to guests.

The rich toasty nuttiness and the deep flavor make this tea well-worth trying. I think it will become a staple at my house.

My first cold of the season is coming to a end ( well i was thinking at least ) when i began to have sore throat again. That not gonna happen let kill that with hot tea ! I’d watch a couple gaiwan video during the morning so why not try it i ask myself innocently ( my answer should have been because your gonna make a mess since you don’t know what you are doing )

Ah why not maybe i’m gonna have the beginner luck well that was not the case ..

Watching a last video after installing all my stuff just to be sure

All the pre-heat did go well but first impression That thing become HOT! i nearly drop it let handle it a little higher i still need my finger don’t want to burn it

Putting the leaf in the gaiwan – 1/4 as suggested in many video that seem a lot but meh i’m no expert so i have to take my first info somewhere let’s go with what they say ( yah cold make me dumb i didn’t even think to come ask here ..)

Rince it – Done ( that kinda the easiest part lol)

First steep – Used the suggested temperature but steeping time found on the web was 20 seconds ( Gawhhh that was so so freaking bitter first time i get a bitter green tea it’s was worst than any black tea i ever taste even the new loose leaf tea from Tim Horton made by people who don’t know how to make tea i was desperate don’t judge me lol ) too many leaf ? dunno i think probably water to hot ( i could not finish the cup it’s was that bitter )

Second steep – i think it’s was the water being too hot that cause the bitterness so i let it cool down does it change something ? well no sure less bitter but the first was so bitter that i still have the taste in the mouth

i did stop at 2 steep for the sake of my bud taste ( i wish to be able to still taste my other tea) cleaning up the mess was fast since i did not really make some but will cleaning the gaiwan i drop it and it broke ( they are little fragile thing )

So it was my first and last ( for now ) gaiwan experience i finish all this by drinking my favorite genmaicha ( at least i know how to do that one )

Hey, look what I found! I thought I’d tried all my TeaFrog samples, but this was buried in the “green tea” box. I really do think this is the last one, though.

As with my other TeaFrog samples, I can’t get aroma other than the fruit of another blend that was packed with this bag, but the leaves are pretty; medium green, fairly long, flat and shiny.

The first time I tried this, I fear I did not use enough tea and may not have steeped long enough. I steeped for 1:30, which is what I usually do with greens unless they ask to be steeped for a shorter time. The flavor was pleasant but not very strong.

More leaf and longer does seem to be an improvement, though I’m still finding this a subtle one. I get a light yellow liquor, and an aroma that is buttery, almost milky, a little salty, with a vegetal echo.

The flavor isn’t particularly buttery or vegetal, though. I’m not really sure how to describe it, other than to say it is “green” tasting, which isn’t very helpful. There’s a slight toastiness, but it’s very slight. There’s an interesting dryness on the tongue after drinking that’s almost like the feel of the grab you get from putting certain dried, chip-like treats on your tongue and letting them sit there. After they get moist, they start to feel like they’re grabbing onto your tongue. That’s the feeling I’m getting here. I’m not getting nuttiness, at least not strongly. Maybe more like the aftertaste of pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

Even on the second try with more leaf and more time, I’m not finding this to have much depth in terms of flavor. I have had greens that were more flavorful. Perhaps I’m not a Dragon Well fan, but since this is really my first, I can’t conclude that just yet.

Another of my TeaFrog samplers that I’m excited to try. It’s hard for me to tell the aroma of the dry leaf because I had the previously opened bag of “Chocolate and Ginger Spice” next to this bag, and now all I can smell is chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. The leaves are flat and dark olive green, somewhat similar in shape to sencha, but darker.

1st steep: 180 degrees, 2 minutes. The liquor is a beautiful golden color and has a mix of light nutty and vegetal scents. The taste also has a gentle hint of nuttiness, a pleasing amount of astringency, and also an unusual and tasty piquancy – which sometimes comes across as a very light tartness or fruitiness. Very enjoyable tea at this stage.

2nd steep: 180 degrees, 1 minute. Much lighter liquor this time, straw-colored, and now the aroma has lost nuttiness in favor of vegetal. The flavor is light but very nice; astringency is down but nuttiness and vegetable goodness are still both there.

Nice contrast to the Japanese greens – looking forward to trying more Chinese greens.

Natalie writes: “I’ve been dipping my toe into the waters of the world of green teas and discovering the results can be sensational. I’ve only tested and tasted Japanese green teas, so I’ve been eager to try more Chinese green tea. Knowing that Dragon Well (Lung Ching) has a reputation for being the champagne of Chinese green teas and that it’s known as being a fairly light tea, I thought that this was the ideal time for me to try this tea from Tea Frog….”

Read the full review at: http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/493/tea-review-teafrog-dragon-well-lung-ching/