Dragon Eggs: A Dragonwell Cultivar Sampler
One River Tea
Regular price
$32.00
Sale
- 5g Qunti Zhong (Mingqian, Handmade, White Crane Peak)
- 5g Longjing #43 (Mingqian, Handmade, White Crane Peak)
- 5g Longjing #108 (Mingqian, Handmade, White Crane Peak)
Each sample comes in a small black tin with three heat-sealed white bags of green tea marked with either QZ for Qunti Zhong, 43 for Longjing #43, or 108 for Longjing #108. The goal of this sampler is to help you find our which of these three famous Dragonwell cultivars is your 'cup of tea'. The best way to experience these teas is by participating in the presale before the picking even begins. This guarantees the best price and the freshest tea leaves. This sampler should help give you the confident clarity to order your favorite Mingqian Longjing next spring.
A little about the teas.
As many dragonwell green tea aficionados know Longjing #43 is the most common cultivar in the West Lake area, famous for its good yield, its nutty aroma, and its brewing longevity, it became wildly popular in the 1990s, however there are two other Dragonwell Cultivars one must be familiar with that come before and after the famous longjing #43.
Qunti Zhong is the heirloom Dragon Well varietal, meaning before the advent of cloning tea bushes to ensure 99.99% genetic similarities in bushes, the old Qunti bushes were seed propagated and are prone to having a more complex array of flavors and personalities. As one tea master in Hangzhou put it “Qunti Zhong is the Longjing for ‘tea people’”.
A newer cultivar is the longjing #108 which was discovered in the early 2000s. Researchers at the Hangzhou tea institute exposed the longjing #43 to gamma-rays inducing a genetic mutation. This mutation as directed at flavor expression, and it worked! Although perhaps this was only after 107 failed attempts… Longjing #108 is the X-man of Dragon Well and is prized for its full-flower orchid fragrance and little to no chestnut notes in its bouquet.
The recommended brewing parameters of these teas are to use 2.5 grams in a 100ml gaiwan and brew with 85 degree Celsius water. These teas can be brewed in flash infusions for 6-8 times each.
The other more commonly used method of brewing is via Grandpa Style (youtube tutorial here), which involved 2.5 grams of dry tea in an 8oz glass of hot water, drunk down 3/4ths empty then refilled with hot water two or three times.
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Taste Subtle Distinction
This is such a great way to sample each ORT Dragon Well to pick out each one’s subtle distinctions. I split each bag into halves so I could try each one twice and have been able to determine my favorite. Now I just need to wait until they re-release next year to get my hands on more!