Master Luo’s West Lake Long Jing – Qing Dynasty 07/04/2024

£35.00£38.00

A Long Jing (Dragonwell) green tea grown, hand-picked and handmade in Yun Qi, one of the famous areas within the tiny 1km by 5km Xi Hu (West Lake) area famous for Long Jing production. This tea has been grown and hand-fired by Master Luo, three time winner of the Long Jing Firing King title.

This tea has been made with the traditional Jiu Keng Group cultivars that have been in decline since the emergence of the earlier-budding No.43 cultivar. Although generally less aromatic and sweet than teas made with No.43, the slower growth and longer roots of Master Luo’s 150-200 year old trees lend a deeper taste and thicker texture.

This tea was picked and hand fired on April the 7th, a few days after the Qingming festival. Whether you prefer this to the No.43 teas is a matter of taste, but this Long Jing has a stronger body and is much rounder, with a little astringency. It is a little more vegetal than the version picked two days prior. Initially this tea has a hint of fresh asparagus, which then finishes with a more citrusy, bitter orange type profile. More so than the No.43 this tea has a longevity in the mouth.

ORIGIN
Master Luo, Yun Qi, Xi Hu, Hangzhou, China.

SIZE OF FARM
5 acres

PLANTS AND PROCESSING
Camellia Sinensis Sinensis, Da Zhong Pin (Jiu Keng Group) cultivar, 150-200 year old trees. Pan-fired. Harvested and fired April 7th 2024.

BREWING GUIDELINE
90°C, 3-4g per 150ml. 4 infusions.

PLEASE NOTE
Caddy option is only available online or via ‘Collect from Postcard Teas’ for shop collection, two working days after purchase.

Description

Our Long Jing is fired by Master Luo, three time winner of the Long Jing Firing King (Chao Cha Wang) competition and the youngest of the 16 Grand Firing masters appointed by the government to pass on traditional methods to the next generation. Master Luo has five acres of land in Meijiawu and other sites in Xi Hu (West Lake) in total – four of them for the in-demand #43 cultivar which is picked early, and one acre reserved for his 150-200 year old Da Zhong Pin bushes. Only 15kg of this Old Tree Long Jing is handmade by Master Luo each year, of which we buy 3-4kg. In 2015 he won the Long Jing Firing King title for the third time and has had the honour of firing the famous 18 Imperial Long Jing bushes. The second time he won the Long Jing Firing King title his prize winning tea sold for around £12,000 for 100g.

The skill and technique of the firer is of the highest importance when it comes to making good quality Long Jing, and Master Luo uses a technique inherited from his grandfather Ying Zhi Sheng that makes him unique among his contempories. During the harvesting season Master Luo will fire all day in 100g batches, making up to 2-2.5 kilos in a day. In the 40 minutes it takes to fire a batch of tea Master Luo reckons the difference between making a great tea and an average tea is only around 30 seconds.

Click HERE to view Master Luo firing the early West Lake Long Jing.

Additional information

Weight 0.07 kg