First time drinking a longjing tea. This one was given to us by one of my boyfriend’s Chinese customers. It came in a pack of 4 Chinese teas: longjing, olong (green variety I think), pu’er, and jasmine green. They were in a very nice gift box with Chinese artwork, and made for a lovely gift. The tins are very nice too: each a different colour with more Chinese artwork on them.
First impressions: wow, what a long leaf! I’ve never seen tea leaves that are so long and flat. I read this is one of longjing’s distinctive features, and I must say, I don’t even know how the tin could fit all of it. When I tried to pour it out of the plastic bag that was in the tin, it wouldn’t all go back in! I was left with maybe a third of the bag that wouldn’t fit. I guess the position of the long leaves are to blame.
Brewing the tea turned it in a very light yellow colour, and the aroma is delicate and similar to sencha or other pure green teas. Flavour is not very distinctive, but consists of a grassy profile with a lighter body than I am used to green teas having. Usually they leave a pretty strong aftertaste, but I don’t really get any of it from this tea. I actually like the more hearty green teas, so this one I find to be a bit on the weaker side. However, it is still good for a green tea. Next time I will try to add a bit more leaf and get some more flavour out of it.
