Basic Introduction to West Lake Longjing
West Lake Longjing, named after the Longjing tea area in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. It is one of China's Top Ten Famous Teas. If we compare West Lake to the beauty Xi Shi, then the best tea is like a beautiful lady. Longjing is both a place name, a spring name, and a tea name. The tea is characterized by “four unique qualities”: green color, rich aroma, mellow taste, and beautiful shape. Top-grade West Lake Longjing is flat, smooth, and straight, with a tender green luster, fresh and high aroma, fresh and sweet taste, and delicate leaves that resemble flowers. Pre-Qingming Longjing, picked before the Qingming Festival, is also known as “Daughter Red.” “The courtyards outside laugh at the wind and lotus; pre-Qingming Longjing is like daughter red.” This poetic sentence vividly captures the essence of West Lake Longjing. It combines famous mountains, temples, lakes, springs, and tea, and drinking a cup of Longjing reveals the unique and remarkable tea culture of Longjing.
The West Lake Longjing is grown in the hills around Lion Peak, Wengjiashan, Hupao, Meijiawu, Yunqi, and Lingyin in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Here, the climate is mild, with abundant rainfall and diffuse light. The soil is slightly acidic, deep, and well-drained. The forests are lush, and streams flow constantly. The average annual temperature is 16°C, and the annual precipitation is about 1,500 millimeters. These excellent natural conditions are conducive to the growth and development of tea trees, resulting in continuous sprouting of tea buds throughout the year. Tea can be harvested approximately 30 times per year, making it one of the most frequently picked teas.
Nutritional Value
West Lake Longjing tea is known as the “Queen of Green Teas,” partly due to its health benefits and effects. As an unfermented tea, Longjing has a cool nature, making its primary benefit the clearing of heat and promoting diuresis.
Longjing tea helps to refresh the mind, quench thirst, and lower levels of neutral fats and cholesterol in the blood. It possesses antioxidant, anti-mutation, anti-tumor, cholesterol-lowering, and blood pressure-regulating properties, as well as the ability to inhibit platelet aggregation, fight bacteria, and reduce product allergies.
Product Characteristics
Zhejiang Longjing tea has a flat and smooth appearance, with sharp peaks and longer buds than leaves, and no downy hair on the surface. Its infusion is a tender green (or yellowish-green) color, with a clear fragrance or a nutty aroma, although some teas may have a high-temperature-roasted aroma. The taste is refreshing or rich and mellow. The leaves are tender and green, relatively intact. As the grade of Longjing tea decreases, the appearance changes from tender green to dark green, the size of the tea body increases, and the tea strips become coarser. The aroma shifts from fresh and brisk to strong and coarse, and by the fourth grade, there is a coarse flavor. The leaves change from tender buds to paired leaves, and the color changes from tender yellow to dark green and then to brown. Summer and autumn Longjing teas have darker green or deep green colors, larger tea bodies, and no downy hair on the surface. Their infusions are yellowish and bright, with a clear but coarser fragrance. The taste is stronger and slightly astringent, and the leaves are yellowish. Overall, these teas are much inferior to their spring counterparts at the same grade.
History and Folklore
The history of West Lake Longjing tea dates back to the Tang Dynasty in China. At that time, the famous “Tea Sage” Lu Yu wrote about the production of tea in Tianzhu and Lingyin temples in Hangzhou in his book “Tea Classic,” the first specialized work on tea in the world. The name “West Lake Longjing” began in the Song Dynasty, became known in the Yuan Dynasty, gained fame in the Ming Dynasty, and flourished in the Qing Dynasty. Over more than a thousand years of historical evolution, West Lake Longjing tea has transformed from an unknown to a famous tea, from a common beverage for ordinary people to a tribute for emperors and generals, and from a renowned Chinese tea to a world-famous product, beginning its glorious period.
As early as the Northern Song Dynasty, the scale of tea production in the Longjing area had begun to take shape. At that time, the “Xianglin Tea” from Xianglin Cave below Lingyin Temple, the “Baiyun Tea” produced on Baiyun Peak in Shangtianzhu, and the “Baoyun Tea” from Baoyun Mountain in Geli were listed as tribute teas. During the Northern Song Dynasty, the famous monk Biancai returned to his former residence, where he and literary figures such as Su Dongpo enjoyed tea and recited poetry at Shousheng Temple at the foot of Lion Peak in Longjing. Su Dongpo praised Longjing tea with the line, “Two new flags under Baiyun Peak, delicate and fresh in the spring rain of Guyu.”
In the Southern Song Dynasty, Hangzhou became the capital, and tea production further developed. In the Yuan Dynasty, the quality of Longjing tea improved. Teas from the Longjing area began to emerge, and tea lovers like Yu Bosheng started writing poems about visiting Longjing and drinking tea, including lines such as: “Lingering above Longjing, clouds rise on a sunny day. Master Cheng loves guests and fetches water from a hidden spring. He seats us among divination tools, but I do not smell any fragrance. I only see the clear water in the ladle, with the shadow of green peaks falling into the green mountain. Brewing the golden buds, not picking them after Guyu, together with two or three friends, we sip thrice without rinsing.” This shows that monks and hermits appreciated the tranquil scenery and good spring water and tea in the Longjing area, so they gathered to drink tea and enjoy the scenery.
In the Ming Dynasty, West Lake Longjing tea began to stand out, its reputation gradually spread, and it began to be consumed by ordinary people beyond the temple walls. According to the “Zhejiang Annals” from the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, “Among the teas produced in the Hangzhou region, none surpass those from Longjing. Particularly valuable are the tender shoots picked before the rain, with one flag and one spear, which are especially precious and scarce.” The “Hangzhou Prefecture Annals” from the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty stated, “Lao Longjing, the tea produced here is the finest in the two mountains.” The “Qiantang County Annals” from the Wanli period also recorded that “Tea produced in Longjing has a bean flower fragrance, clear color, and sweet taste, distinct from other mountains.” At this time, West Lake Longjing tea was listed among the famous teas of China. In the Ming Dynasty, Huang Yizheng's collection of famous teas and Xu Wenchang's compilation of famous teas across the country included West Lake Longjing tea.
In the Qing Dynasty, scholars such as Hao Yici mentioned that famous teas include “Zhejiang's Longjing, Jiangnan's jieshan, and Fujian's Wuyi.” Emperor Qianlong visited the south six times and came four times to the West Lake Longjing tea area to observe the tea picking and processing, tasting and writing poetry. Eighteen tea trees in front of Hu Gong Temple were designated as “tribute tea.” From then on, West Lake Longjing tea became famous at home and abroad, with a steady stream of visitors coming to inquire about the tea. Xu Ke, a modern person, said, “Green teas produced in various provinces rarely have a deep green color, except for our Hangzhou's Longjing, which has a deep green color. Teas elsewhere are curled and round, while Hangzhou's Longjing is flat and straight.” In the Qing Dynasty, it is said that Emperor Qianlong composed a poem during his tour of Hangzhou, titled “Observing the Picking of Tea in a Song.” West Lake Longjing tea is ranked according to “Lion (Peak), Dragon (Well), Cloud (Nest), Tiger (Run), Mei (Home Valley),” with West Lake Longjing being the best. The shape of Longjing tea is upright, sharp, flat, elegant, smooth, and uniform, with a green color tinged with yellow. After brewing, it has a high and lasting fragrance, like orchid blossoms; the broth is apricot green, clear and bright, the leaves are tender and green, uniform and flower-like, with each bud standing upright, vivid and lifelike. Drinking the