Okay, here’s my blog post about brewing Long Jing (Dragonwell) green tea, written from my personal experience:

So, I’ve been getting into loose leaf tea lately, and I finally decided to try the famous Long Jing, also known as Dragonwell. I’d heard so much about it – that smooth, almost nutty flavor, the beautiful jade color… I was hyped!

First, I got my hands on some tea. I went with the seller from my local store. Seemed like a safer bet than some random online shop. I wanted the good stuff, you know?

Getting Ready to Brew

Next, I grabbed my little teapot – it’s nothing fancy, just a simple ceramic one with a built-in strainer. I also made sure I had my favorite mug ready. Gotta have the right mug, right? And, of course, I filled my electric kettle with fresh, cold water.

The Brewing Process

This is where things get interesting. I’d read that you shouldn’t use boiling water for green tea, as it can make it bitter. So, I heated the water until it was steaming but definitely not bubbling. Some people use a thermometer, but I just eyeballed it. I let the kettle to cool down for a minute or two to get that lower temperature, roughly 175°F (80°C).

While the water was cooling, I put about a teaspoon of the Long Jing leaves into my teapot. The leaves were these beautiful, flat, green blades. They smelled so fresh and grassy, even before brewing!

Then, I slowly poured the hot water over the leaves. I filled the teapot just enough to cover them, and then I let it steep.

• Steep 1:For the first steep, I went in at 30 seconds. Just a quick dip to awaken the leaves.
• Steep 2:I poured that first infusion into my mug and then added more water to the pot. The second steep, I let it go for about 45 seconds.
• Steep 3 & 4:I did one or two more steeps after that, each time I increased the brewing time by a bit, like maybe a minute for the third, and a minute and a half for the fourth.

Tasting and Enjoying

The first steep was super light, almost like a hint of flavor. But the second one? That’s where the magic happened. The tea was this gorgeous, pale green color. And the taste… oh man. It was smooth, a little bit sweet, and had this roasted chestnut thing going on. Seriously delicious.

I sipped it slowly, just enjoying the moment. It was so calming and refreshing. I totally get why people are obsessed with Long Jing now.

It was a really cool experience, taking my time and going through the whole process. Definitely going to be brewing more Long Jing in the future!