Dragon Well Tea
The most famous Chinese tea on earth, Dragon Well Tea, is made in Hangzhou, in China’s Zhejiang Province. The tea is famous for its intoxicating fragrance and aroma. The tea flourishes in the mild and humid climate of Hangzhou. The culture and history which surrounds the tea makes it even more special
The production technique for creating Dragon Well tea is very elaborate and must be done precisely or an entire day’s picking can be ruined. Each step is watched over by an expert producer who has at least a decade of training. The first picking of the year is done in spring, before the Qingming Festival. Only the new, unopened buds are picked to make the tea. The freshly picked buds are then graded and fried in iron woks to stop the oxidation process. The wok is very hot, but the leaves are not cooked. They are heated to stop the oxidation process and shaped. The buds have to be constantly in motion and removed before they are overheated. The different movements, done by the fryers, looks like a martial art and each must be done with a precision that only years of training can accomplish. .
There are a number of legends surrounding the tea. Dragon Well Tea and Dragon Well village got their name from the Dragon Well. According to legend, the well was home to a benevolent dragon which supplied the village with all the rain they needed. The Dragon Well is still there and is now a beautiful location to enjoy some tea. Looking in the waters of the well, one can almost see a dragon in the swirling water.
The tea got its shape and fame during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It is said that Emperor Qianlong came to Hangzhou on a royal tour of the country and he stopped to pick tea. While he was picking tea, he got word that his mother, in Beijing was very ill. He placed the tea leaves in his sleeve and rushed back to Beijing. When he arrived in Beijing, his mother immediately felt better and while talking she noticed a fragrance coming from his sleeve. He had forgotten about the tea leaves and they had been flattened and become dry. He brewed them up for his mother, who loved it. The Emperor then made it a tribute tea to The Forbidden City. The 18 tea trees that he picked the tea from are still alive and are the centerpiece to a tea park named the 18 Imperial Dragon Well Tea Trees. The shape of the flattened leaves, from his sleeve, has been maintained to this day. The tea from the 18 tea trees’ tea is move expensive, per gram, than gold.
