Shifeng Semi-Wild High Peak Dragonwell

This is so much better than that junk from iTeaworld. Don’t ever plan to buy from them again. This is the Longjing I’m looking for.

Not as transcendant an experience as the variety I tried last year from Verdant, but still quite nice. Minimal to no sweetness. No bitterness or astringency. Lasts 5-6 steeps.

Harvest: Pre-qingming, 2025
Cultivar: Longjing Qunti
Location: Longjing Village, Zhejiang Province
Elevation: 300 m

Spring 2019 harvest.

I didn’t realize until I sat down to log this tasting note that I had ordered this tea once before. But it’s okay because that was back when I didn’t have an appreciation for dragonwell nor understood how to brew it properly.

For a tea that’s sat in cold storage for 8 months, this has held up remarkably well. The aroma that this tea presents is a nutty, creamy mixture of chestnut, asparagus, and buttered green beans. The brewed tea starts with a vegetal-wheatgrass like flavor quite similar to matcha. Notes of Napa cabbage, asparagus, and green beans appear as the tea continues to steep. It’s strong, full-bodied, and has a very savory flavor. Very drinkable but not as sublime as the higher end Shi Feng dragonwells I had last year. In fairness I didn’t drink it at peak freshness so who knows how good it might have been.