Just the basic Long Jing offered by Tealyra, not “westlake” or “supreme” or any of the other superlatives that they occasionally market. And over the years, I’ve found this to be just as good as their fancier versions anyway, though those are long gone from my tea cupboard. This 100 g mylar bag has been sealed up in my darkened tea cabinet for about seven years, so it’s not exactly fresh (Best by 11-2019). Nice long unbroken, brittle flat blades of tea leaf, with an almost waxy feel to them.
Today I ignored the Tealyra instructions and over-infused 2.5 g in 16 oz boiling spring water for a half hour. You could call that Wild-Western Style! And I ended up with two cups of quaffable (golden yellow) green tea having a little astringent bite (“wild”) and plenty of the very typical Dragon Well vegetal flavor and aroma. Savory, nutty (more like pecan, less like walnut or hazelnut), grassy with hint of steamed edamame, nice long finish… exactly what we expect from a cuppa Long Jing! If I’d stopped the steep at 6 minutes it would have been perfect! And, modestly priced, while being unfussy at the same time. Satisfying, and next time I’ll try brewing it their way!
Flavors: Grassy, Nutty, Pecan, Savory, Soybean, Umami, Vegetal
