How much does West Lake Longjing tea cost per jin?

West Lake Longjing tea is one of China's top ten famous teas and belongs to the green tea category. It is produced in the mountains around Longjing Village by West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, and has a history of more than 1,200 years. Its appearance is flat and elegant, its color is green and emerald, and its inner quality is fresh and mellow. When brewed in a cup, the buds and leaves are green in color. It has long been renowned for its four excellences: green color, rich fragrance, sweet taste, and beautiful shape. Let us take a look below at how much West Lake Longjing costs.

How much does West Lake Longjing tea cost?

The market price of authentic West Lake Longjing ranges from 400 yuan to 8,000 yuan per jin. For about 8,000 yuan, you can roughly buy top-grade West Lake Longjing, and for around 1,000 yuan you can buy quite good West Lake Longjing. Top-grade West Lake Longjing is picked earlier, generally from March 20 to the end of March. The 400-yuan Longjing is generally picked around April 20. After April 5, the tea trees need water, and the quality gradually declines. It is generally believed that top-grade West Lake Longjing comes from the Shifeng Mountain area, and other tea produced within the West Lake District also counts as authentic West Longjing.

West Lake Longjing market reference prices

1. West Lake brand authentic pre-rain Longjing tea: price 99 yuan, produced in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, picked before the spring rains, made with the pan-fired green tea process, paired with West Lake Longjing tea leaves, with no additives, flat-leaf shape, thick and mellow taste, bag packaging, shelf life 365 days, net content 250 grams.

2. Lu Zhenghao brand pre-rain West Lake Longjing tea: price 108 yuan, produced in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, picked before the spring rains, made with the pan-fired green tea process, paired with West Lake Longjing, with no additives, flat-leaf shape, thick and mellow taste, bag packaging, shelf life 365 days, net content 250 grams.

3. Pre-rain Longjing tea direct from tea farmers 500 grams: price 75 yuan, produced in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, picked before the spring rains, made with the pan-fired green tea process, paired with tea leaves, with no additives, flat-leaf shape, sweet, mellow and refreshing taste, loose packaging, shelf life 540 days, net content 500 grams.

4. Meilongyi brand pre-rain West Lake Longjing tea 250-gram gift box: price 98 yuan, produced in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, picked before the spring rains, made with the pan-fired green tea process, paired with West Lake Longjing, with no additives, flat-leaf shape, sweet, mellow and refreshing taste, bag packaging, shelf life 540 days, net content 250 grams.

5. Junzifeng Mingcha brand pre-rain West Lake Longjing green tea: price 288 yuan: produced in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, picked before the spring rains, made with the pan-fired green tea process, paired with West Lake Longjing, with no additives, flat-leaf shape, fresh, refreshing taste with a sweet aftertaste, gift box packaging, shelf life 580 days, net content 200 grams.

How can you tell real West Lake Longjing from fake?

1. Price: Since West Lake Longjing tea is the foremost of famous teas, its price is naturally high. If you decide to buy authentic West Lake Longjing tea, you must be mentally prepared. Tea is a product where you get what you pay for, and good tea naturally comes at a good price. Never harbor the mentality of seeking a bargain. The price of authentic West Lake Longjing pre-Qingming tea produced in the first-level protection area should be between 2,000 yuan and about 600 yuan, and pre-rain tea should also be above 300 yuan. This is basically the price sold by tea farmers; for market prices, you should add at least 30 percent.

2. Place of origin: The place of origin of West Lake Longjing tea is very important. You must first ask the seller clearly about the tea's place of origin. The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine implemented a place-of-origin protection policy in 2001. According to the actual production range of West Lake Longjing, a protection area of 168 square kilometers was designated. Anything produced outside the area can only be called Qiantang Longjing and Yuezhou Longjing, and naturally cannot compare with West Lake Longjing in price and quality.

3. Anti-counterfeiting: Authentic West Lake Longjing tea all has a queryable anti-counterfeiting label. When purchasing, you should remember to ask the seller whether there is an anti-counterfeiting label. It must be said that although West Lake Longjing tea is a specialty of Hangzhou, that does not mean that only tea bought from sellers in Hangzhou is authentic West Lake Longjing.

4. Grade: The grades of West Lake Longjing tea differ according to how sellers define them, so the quality also varies. Do not blindly compare green teas of the same grade from different sellers.

5. Characteristics: Different varieties of West Lake Longjing also have their own characteristics in color and form. For example, tea produced by old tea trees is relatively plump, and its color is brown-rice colored, while tea from new tea trees or Longjing 43 is relatively slender and greener. Also, because tea masters use different heat levels when pan-firing the tea, the taste of the tea differs. For example, green tea fired with heavier heat has a stronger chestnut aroma, while tea fired with lighter heat is more fresh and fragrant. But in any case, none of it has a grassy smell!

6. Brewing: When West Lake Longjing tea is brewed, at first it all floats on the surface of the water, and after opening it slowly sinks, with a graceful form. The tea liquor is clear and bright, and even if left until the next day it basically does not become cloudy. Fake West Lake Longjing is not like this.

7. Appearance: Everyone must not blindly pursue the shape of West Lake Longjing, because tea is a naturally growing plant and has also gone through picking and pan-firing, so its appearance cannot all be so neat. Moreover, because the picking and processing times differ, the shapes naturally differ. If the tea leaves you buy are all small buds, they are very likely fake West Lake Longjing that has been manually sorted out.