Longjing / Dragonwell

Yum- this is a great afternoon tea. Longjing from this year’s spring sent by a friend.

Nutty and buttery (in a sweet way, not savory) with a texture that reminds me of pudding, plus the background layer of sweet, cool greens. Also a tiny bit of green apple skins.

Yeesh, I have to be careful to leave some buds in the cup to keep steeping and not eat them- they are quite tender and delicious. Looking forward to snacking – er- sipping on this all afternoon. I don’t often find myself in the mood for real Dragonwell (love ya, Laoshan!), so now that I am and I have it in front of me, here’s to soft and sunny!

After cavorting with kids (10 of ’em, fresh out of fourth grade and squirrely!) then coming home to sterilize the rubber pig and chicken and wash my marbles (there are a couple tasks I never expected to do!) I was ready to put my feet up and enjoy something light and uncomplicated.

I don’t know much about the provenance of this dragonwell. It was passed along by a friend; a cellophane-wrapped packet in a little green box with absolutely no English on it whatsoever. And yes, I know I should have taken a picture to run by the experts before I sipped it down and pitched it. Que sera. But I enjoyed every cup of it—it definitely led with the extremely green spinach and kale vibe, but there was a sweet spot at the end of every swallow. Like getting dessert after eating your veggies.