2026 High Mountain Long Jing | Green tea

Longjing—often translated as Drangon Well Tea—has been celebrated in China for centuries and is often regarded as the most iconic Chinese green tea. Its name originates from a historic well in the Longjing village near Hangzhou, where the tea was traditionally produced and where the swirling patterns in the well water were said to resemble a moving dragon.

This Longjing is made from the Longjing #43 cultivar. Longjing #43 is one of the most widely cultivated modern Longjing varieties. It is valued for its early budding, tender leaves, and its ability to produce a remarkably clean and expressive aroma. Compared with traditional local Longjing cultivars, Longjing #43 often yields a brighter liquor, clearer fragrance, and a more defined balance between sweetness and freshness, making it especially well suited to carefully crafted high-grade green tea.

The liquor is clear and jade-green, offering a clean, refined sweetness with characteristic notes of fresh seaweed (nori), layered with hints of roasted chestnut, gentle floral tones, and mountain spring freshness. Among Chinese tea drinkers, there is a common understanding that a well-made green tea should not develop grassiness or harsh bitterness even with higher water temperatures—and this tea exemplifies that balance.

Panan is one of Zhejiang’s rarer high-altitude tea regions, with dense forest coverage and long resting periods for tea trees. Kong practices natural cultivation without pesticides, allowing tea trees to grow alongside grasses, insects, and woodland.

Profile: Refined sweetness, seaweed freshness, roasted chestnut, subtle floral
Origin: Panan, Zhejiang, China
Elevation: 800 m
Harvest: April 2026
Farmer: Kong Zhongming
Cultivar: Longjing #43
Brewing suggestion: 70–80 °C | 30-60 s