The right kind of green tea

The Long Jing has been on my tea wish list simply because its reputation precedes it.

- Aravinda Anantharaman

The Long Jing has been on my tea wish list simply because its reputation precedes it. Along with the Bi Luo Chun, the Long Jing sits at the top of the green tea pantheon, and on one's tea explorations. It is a name that comes up often enough until you cannot ignore it.

The name Long Jing translates to Dragon Well, and follows in the Chinese tea tradition that tells of an old tea and fantastical tales that accompany it. At first, I found these stories to be quite the attractive hook, marvelling at how even a tea could inspire such legends. Lately though, I am more eager to push past the stories for the tea. And with the Long Jing, suffice to know that the tea gets its name from its place of origin—Longjing village in Hangzhou.