u/Healthilytea

High-quality pre-Qingming Longjing tea, though subtle, is not tasteless.

It boasts a rich aroma of beans or chestnuts, with top-grade pieces sometimes exhibiting orchid notes (rarely seen even by locals, and often unavailable or unaffordable for the average person). This aroma is very pronounced, requiring no imagination. The flavor is mineral-rich, fresh, with a noticeable sweet aftertaste and layered changes. While subtle, it is never boring, but rather full of enjoyment.

1. Variety Issues

Longjing tea has three varieties: Quntizhong, Longjing 43, and Wuniuzao. Quntizhong is the original variety; Longjing 43 is a selectively bred variety based on Quntizhong; Wuniuzao is not really considered Longjing.

The differences between Quntizhong and Longjing 43 are not significant. Longjing 43, being a later cultivation, often uses younger tea trees, sometimes resulting in a more pronounced freshness; Wuniuzao, on the other hand, usually tastes bland and tasteless.

2. Production Area Issues

Generally, production areas are divided into primary production areas and secondary production areas.

Lion Peak, a first-class production area

Longwu, a secondary production area

3. Differences in tea-making standards: There are three types: the first is purely handmade, the second is semi-handmade (the first step of fixing is done by machine, and the second step is done by hand), and the third is fully machine-made.

4. Brewing Method

Pre-Qingming Longjing tea should be brewed in an open glass cup to allow for faster heat dissipation. Brewing it with a lid or in a teapot will ruin the quality.

5. Vintage Differences

The taste of Longjing tea varies from year to year due to different climates, just like the vintage of wine. In a bad year, even the most reliable tea factory can't salvage the situation.

For example, if you buy this year's pre-Qingming Longjing, the production area, variety, tea factory, and processing may all be fine, but it will still be bland and tasteless.

This is a matter of nature.

Let me first explain that West Lake Longjing tea has five core first-level production areas. Only tea picked from these areas is genuine West Lake Longjing. Many teas from other production areas are being sold under the name of West Lake Longjing, and many vendors sell counterfeit tea in pursuit of profit.

As a native of Meijiawu, I'd like to share a few points to help you distinguish genuine Longjing tea:

1. The color should be yellowish-green. If the Longjing tea you have is bright green, it's fake.

2. New tea shouldn't have a strong bitter or astringent taste; it should be fresh and sweet aftertaste. Experienced tea drinkers need to judge this by taste. If the tea tastes very astringent, it's definitely fake. If it makes your stomach uncomfortable, it's also likely fake.

3. The five major first-grade production areas are all in the hands of tea farmers. Only these farmers receive official traceability codes issued by the government. If your tea doesn't have a code, it's most likely fake. Even with a traceability code, it's not 100% guaranteed to be authentic Longjing. Some merchants will pay to buy traceability codes from tea farmers.

4. Price can also reveal a lot. Longjing tea is divided into pre-Qingming tea, pre-rain tea, post-rain tea, and spring tea. If the price of your pre-Qingming tea is cheap, it's definitely not genuine. I'll convert it to US dollars for reference: Pre-Qingming tea $250-$2200 per 500 grams.

I hope this helps.

1.Green tea is usually sold in large loose-leaf containers; you can take out and brew as much as you need.

2.To highlight the quality of the tea and cater to a high-end market, these individually packaged gift boxes typically contain 4g of tea leaves, ready for direct brewing.