What are the origin and characteristics of Longjing tea?

When it comes to tea, many people immediately think of “Longjing.” Indeed, Longjing tea has a strong sense of history in our country, so do you know where Longjing is produced? What characteristics does it have?

1. Where is Longjing produced?

Longjing originated in the West Lake area of Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Its unique geographical location and natural climate environment give Longjing tea its emerald-green color, rich aroma and sweet, mellow taste.

The name Longjing tea began in the Song Dynasty, became known in the Yuan Dynasty, spread in the Ming Dynasty and flourished in the Qing Dynasty. Over more than a thousand years of history, Longjing tea went from being unknown to famous, and from an everyday drink at ordinary people's meals to a tribute item for emperors and generals.

Zhejiang Longjing tea can be divided by origin into several types, including West Lake Longjing, Qiantang Longjing and Dafo Longjing. Among them, West Lake Longjing is the finest. To achieve high yield and good quality, tea leaves require not only excellent varieties and superb picking and processing techniques, but also a superior climate and soil environment. The quality of tea leaves is affected by rainfall, temperature, wind and sunlight conditions. Generally speaking, an annual rainfall of 1500 mm to 2500 mm is more suitable for the growth of tea trees, and the most suitable temperature for their growth is between 10°C and 20°C.

The planting area of West Lake Longjing tea is distributed precisely around West Lake, with the Qiantang River nearby, giving it a very superior natural growing environment. In its growing area, solar radiation is weaker, rainfall is abundant and temperatures are on the low side. During the picking season (the best picking period for West Lake Longjing tea is from late March to April, and the climate before and after the picking period has a crucial impact on the quality of the tea leaves, including their nutritional components, tea polyphenols and amino acid content), local temperatures are basically between 10°C and 20°C, which makes the West Lake Longjing tea picked at this time have smaller buds and higher quality.

2. What characteristics does Longjing have?

1. West Lake Longjing tea has a high amino acid content and a low tea polyphenol content, so its nutritional value is high.

2. The tea leaves are fresh and tender with a refreshing taste. A famous Qing Dynasty tea connoisseur once praised it as follows: “Sweet and fragrant as an orchid, subtle without being harsh, bland when sipped, seemingly tasteless, yet after drinking one feels a spirit of great harmony spreading between the teeth and forehead; this is the ultimate flavor.”

3. Longjing tea begins to be picked before Qingming. At that time the tea tree has just revealed its tender buds, pale yellow in color, like lotus plumule, and it is called “pre-Qingming tea,” the “finest grade” among Longjing teas.

Overall, West Lake Longjing tea is a representative of traditional Chinese cultural symbols. Tea culture has a long history and is imbued with the profound philosophies of Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism and the essence of traditional Chinese culture. As the foremost of China's famous teas, West Lake Longjing tea is undoubtedly a typical representative of traditional Chinese cultural symbols.