Tea: Meijiawu Dragonwell

Grower: The Zhu Family

Origin: Meijiawu Village, in West Lake. Hangzhou, in Zhejiang, China.

Cultivation: Seasonal Conventional (Fertilizers and pesticides not used during harvest season)

Harvest Date: April 15, 2015

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This April 15 harvest is sweet, nutty, and fresh, with a clean mineral finish and a softly sparkling texture. The aftertaste lingers with a soft aroma and a sweet flavor. An elegant and complex Dragonwell.

Because Dragonwell is one of China's most famous teas, it can be tricky to source authentic Dragonwell tea; surrounding areas make counterfeits, and only the West Lake tea villages make true Dragonwell. Meijiawu Village is one of the oldest and most well-known villages.

The Zhu Family has been growing tea in the village for generations, and their tea is refined, elegant, and with many layers of flavor to explore. 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.

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Recommended Brewing Instructions:

Standard Style: Use 2tsp (~3g) per 250ml cup. Brew for 2 minutes.

- 175F for a sweeter, lighter profile with more chestnut notes.

- 185F for a more buttery, vegetal profile.

This tea can be rebrewed up to 4 times, with hotter water and longer infusions.

Dragonwell Style: Cover the bottom of a heat-resistant glass cup or tumblr with leaves, then pour 185F water enough to cover the leaves. Enjoy the aroma of the tea.

Then, fill the rest of the glass with the water, and let steep until the leaves have unfurled and are sinking to the bottom of the glass.

Enjoy the tea and keep refilling the glass with hot water as necessary.