Tazo Packaging Loose Leaf Green Tea 'Long Jing (Dragonwell)'

Tea Information:
Tea: Long Jing (Dragonwell)
Type: Green Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Tazo
Purchase: Here15th Ave Coffee & Tea
Description:
Origin: Zhejiang, China
Harvest: April 2009
Altitude: 1200-1800 ft

A famous Chinese green tea with flat jade green leaves, a mellow flavor and fresh aroma.
This famous tea is produced in Zhejiang Province, in a village called Dragon Well, to the west of West Lake.

Steep Information:
Amount: 6.1g
Water: 500ml filtered water 180°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 2 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: toasted vegetables
Steeped Tea Smell: light vegetal, sweet
Flavor: vegetal, bitter
Body: Light
Aftertaste: bitter
Liquor: pale translucent yellow-green

This was a gift from Melody over at StarbucksMelody.com. If you enjoy starbucks or coffee you should really go and read her wonderful Starbucks fan site / community / blog.

I like how the tea was packed in a plastic bag inside the tin, it kept them from being crushed in shipping.

Made this an additional time with 750ml of water, it turned out better, still a little bitter at the finish. The resteep of the same leaves turned out very bitter, but enjoyable with a bit of honey.

I think i may need to play with the parameters on this tea. It has a nice sweet toasted vegetal promise, and I hope I can smooth of the bitter finish. For now it will have to stay at "acceptable".

Rating: 2/4 leaves


Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing

Radiance Tea House and Books Loose Leaf Green Tea 'Long Jing (Dragon Well)'

Tea Information:
Tea: Long Jing (Dragon Well)
Type: Green Tea from China
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Radiance Tea House and Books
Purchase: In Store, 158 West 55th Street, NY, NY
Description: Grown exclusively in West Lake area in Zhejiang province, Dragon Well tea is China’s most famous green tea. Handpicked as soon as it’s ripe, it is one of the most tender and freshest of all green teas. Vibrant green leaves, vegetal, aromatic, with a lingering sweetness make up this truly superior cup of tea.

Steep Information:
Prepared as part of the Steepster meetup and tea tasting

This was a 2009 dragon well tea
The older the dragon well the more yellow the liquor
2010 would appear mostly clear as it would be so fresh and new

The tea appeared cloudy with particulate
It smelled nutty
It has a light body
The flavor was sweet

The tea should always have a bud and one to two leaves

To me the leaves appeared as if rolled into little toothpicks

The steeped leaves should always appear very green

Sorry my notes are so short and cryptic but it was a whirlwind tasting of so much information and flavor!

I am intentionally not rating these teas as I didn't really have a chance to sit there and sip on them and think whether I would by them again, like to play with them more, although none were awful (1 leaf) or fabulous (4 leaves)