{"id":6393,"date":"2019-11-15T15:00:53","date_gmt":"2019-11-15T15:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/chinese-culture\/longjing-tea-long-jing-cha\/"},"modified":"2019-11-15T15:00:53","modified_gmt":"2019-11-15T15:00:53","slug":"longjing-tea-long-jing-cha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/my\/longjing-tea-long-jing-cha\/","title":{"rendered":"Longjing Tea \u9f99\u4e95\u8336"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lo<\/em>ngjing tea<\/strong>\uff08\u9f99\u4e95\u8336\uff0cLóngj\u01d0ng Chá\uff09<\/span>or Dragon Well is a famous variety of <\/span><\/span>green tea<\/strong>\uff08\u7eff\u8336\uff0cl\u01dc chá\uff09<\/span>from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China wher it is produced mostly by hand and has been renowned for its high quality, earning the China Famous Tea title. Lo<\/em>ngjing is divided into seven grades: Superior, Special, and then 1 down to 5.<\/span><\/p>\n

Long Jing is often called the natio<\/em>nal drink of China and is frequently given to visiting heads of state. It is also a favorite tea of today’s top leaders, with a portion of production reserved for government customers.<\/p>\n

Like most other Chinese green tea, Lo<\/em>ngjing tea leaves are heated early in processing (after picking) to stop the natural "fermentation" process, which is a part of creating black and oolong teas. In the world of tea, the term "fermentation" refers to the actions of natural enzymes, present in the leaves, on the juices and tissues of the leaf; this is not "fermentation" in the true sense of the term (as, for example, the action of yeast in producing beer). The actions of these enzymes is stopped by ‘firing’ (heating in pans) or by steaming the leaves before they completely dry out. As is the case with other green teas (and ‘white teas’), Lo<\/em>ngjing tea leaves are therefore "unfermented." When steeped, the tea produces a yellow-green color, a gentle, pure aroma, and a rich flavor. The tea co<\/em>ntains Vitamin C, amino acids, and has one of the highest co<\/em>ncentration of catechins among teas, second o<\/em>nly to white teas.<\/p>\n

Longjing, which literally translates as "dragon well", is named after a well that co<\/em>ntains relatively dense water, and after rain the lighter rainwater floating on its surface sometimes exhibits a sinuous and twisting boundary with the well water, which is supposed to resemble the movement of a traditio<\/em>nal Chinese dragon.<\/p>\n

Tradition has it that to achieve the best taste from Longjing, water from <\/span>the Dreaming of the Tiger Spring<\/strong>\uff08\u864e\u8dd1\u6cc9\uff0cH\u01d4p\u01ceo Quán\uff09<\/span>, a famous spring in Hangzhou, is to be used. Water is boiled then cooled to a<\/em>bout 80 degrees Celsius before being used to brew the tea leaves. It is usual to use ceramic or glass to brew Lo<\/em>ngjing tea (minerals in porous earthenware such as Zisha may disrupt the taste of the tea).<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n