Dragon Well Tea aka China’s Top 1 Famous Tea

Boo wanted me to try this certain tea from China one Friday night. Before heading out to dinner, he fixed a glass for me while explaining what it’s all about.

Tea in general, has a lot of functions. And for the both of us, the most important thing it does is aid in metabolism and digestion. So anyways, moving on to the special tea called Longjing.

Dragon Well Tea is a variety of roasted green tea, originating in Zhejiang and is famous all over China. It has an inviting toasty aroma coming from the process of roasting in a hot wok. It has this gentle and pure aroma with a nutty hint. I also found out that it is China’s most famous tea, being in the number one spot of the top ten teas in China. This justifies what the seller told Boo and his family that It won 3 straight years in a nationwide tea competition in China. What’s more is that its caffeine content is relatively low, lowest in the competition it entered. 0.2% caffeine context to be exact.

There are several grades of the Dragon Well Tea, and I was able to try the Superior variety thanks to Boo. The quantity of leaves per glass depends on the grade of the tea. This table is a rough estimate for a cup of tea. Each recipe glass you make can be refilled 5 times and then you have to throw the soaked tea leaves.

Grade A use index finger + middle finger in picking up the tea leaves

Grade B use index finger + middle finger + thumb in picking up the tea leaves

Grade C use four fingers except the pinky in picking up the tea leaves

Additional ingredients to enjoy with Dragon Well Tea are the dried Hawthorn Berries and dried Orange Peel.

Dragon Well Tea. Orange Peel. Hawthorn

Dried Hawthorn Berries – These are bright red fruits under the category of berries that grow from Hawthorn trees. The raw material in making Haw Haw Flakes, a famous snack amongst Chinese kids. I personally was a fan back in gradeschool. You will need about 2-3 pieces of dried Hawthorn. This gives the tea mix its distinct sweet aroma that is very enjoyable. It also helps in digestion.

Dried Orange Peel – This literally is the peel of an orange, left to dry. You will need about 2-4 pieces depending on the size of the peel and of course, depending on your preference. This gives the tea mix the fruity fresh taste with a little bit of tartness. I personally use just one because I don’t want the citrus flavor to be too strong.

Hawthron. Orange Peel

How to enjoy the Dragon Well Tea: Just put all the ingredients in a glass and pour hot water (not boiling). Let it steep for 1-2 minutes and it is ready.

What’s nice about this tea is that even if you leave it long, it doesn’t get strong. Unlike other regular teas where in you have to remove the tea bag after a few minutes.

Another tip while waiting for it to cool down, you can use the steam as an eye spa. Look down to the tea glass with your hands covering the sides of your eyes, like peeking through and making a telescope using your hands. Hold it for 5-10 seconds, release. You’ll feel your eyes a bit watery but very relaxed.

Looking forward to another tea session with Boo. I hope there’s enough tea left in the jar.