How to brew Longjing Green Tea Dragon Well Green Tea brewing methods

As we all know that Dragon Well Tea is the top ten famous tea in China,and many people like it.But the quality of the tea in not concerning the tea leaves,and the brewing methods is also very important,this let's talk about the tea brewing methods.

The followings are the main things we should concern before brewing the tea:
1 water type
2 water temperature
3 brewing vessel
4 the amount of tea leaves
5 use of lid--yes or no
6 brewing time--1st and subsequent steeps
7 taste



Choice of water
For water, it depends on where you live, here ere are some ideas:
Tap water: Fine if it is not hard or too chlorinated. If chlorinated, leave overnight.
Distilled water: Can make the tea tastes flat if it does not contain any minerals.
Mineral water: Mustn't be too hard or devoid of minerals. Ideally between 10 to 100 milligrams per litre.


Water temperature 

Usually the temperature of the water is about 85℃(185℉)


Choice of vessel
To be honest, any cup would do, although personally people prefer a clear glass (6 to 8 ounce) for Dragon Well green tea because you can admire the leaves standing up and dancing about. This is the method commonly used in China.
Western tea experts like to use a gaiwan (basically a small white porcelain bowl with a lid), which is acceptable too.
You can experiment with leaf first, water later, or surface dropping (water first, then leaf later) if you are using a gaiwan.(Several of my friends report excellent results with this).


the amount of tea leaves
Usually use about 3.5-7g(0.1-0.25ons) of tea leaves (2-3.5 teaspoons) for every 225ml of water,that's all depends your personal taste.

Use lid or no
In order to keep the tea looks nice and taste fresh, I do not think it's necessary to use a lid.


Anyway and all in all, the brewing steps could be concluded much easier:
1 Rinse tea cup and teapot with hot water.
2 Use about 3.5-7g of tea leaves (2-3.5 teaspoons) for every 225ml of water.
3 Steep tea leaves in hot water at 85-95℃(185-203℉)for 1 minute for the first and second brewing.
4 Gradually increase steeping time and temperature for subsequent brewing.
5 Refill when glass is still 1/3 full.
Notes: Do not over brew the tea or use boiling water. 


The last thing is the tea taste, before drinking the tea, firstly look at the tea leaves in the glass, then smell the fragrance, finally have a sip. You will feel the whole body is becoming warm, with a sweetness reminiscence of grape fruit after-taste.