Grower: Meijiawu Village (The Zhu Family)

Tea Maker: The Zhu Family

Location: Meijiawu Village in West Lake (Xi Hu) - Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China

Elevation: 100m (320ft)

Cultivation: Conventional - Seasonal

Signature Teas: Dragonwell

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The Zhu Family has been crafting tea for three generations, and specializes in just one tea - Dragonwell, the signature tea of their area. They live in Meijiawu Village, one of the four famous, so-called "original" and authentic areas of Dragonwell. The other areas include Shi Feng and Yun Wu.

Currently the Zhu Family has 10 acres of tea plantations. The land is fertile, surrounding by mountains fed by rich rainwater, and lush forest. The fog shrouds the tea-growing areas often, occurring year-round. Their plants are the native-mixed cultivar of Dragonwell that has grown there for generations - unlike the more homogenous Longjing #43, designed to flush earlier, this cultivar is said to be more complex even if it flushes later in the season.

The Zhu Family offers a specific harvest of Dragonwell on Tealet. Before the Spring Rain, or “Guyu” in Chinese calendar, teas made with the finest bud tip of tea leaves are plucked between April 5 and April 20. Due to the warm weather, the shoots grow relatively rapidly and accumulate more nutrition and other substances. Therefore, tea before the spring rain has a taste of freshness and richness with a long-lasting flavor.