Green Tea Forum

Hebing · White Belt Joined: 27 Mar 2007 Posts: 26

Hi everyone, I just recently received 100 grams of Dragon Well green tea. Although I have been enjoying my first attempts at brewing it, I have found that other sources have extremely varied opinions on how to properly brew it. It would help a lot if I could have some reliable brewing instructions. I don’t know if this will help but I use a 4 ounce yixing teapot.

Ryan · Sensei Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 475

A yixing pot may be too heat conducing for dragon well.

A gaiwan, or ceramic teapot may be a better option. Roy Fong, for example, generally recommends brewing Chinese green tea in a gaiwan with the top off while it brews.

To brew dragon well's, it really depends, they vary so much.

A few parameters I have used is as follows:

3 grams per 4 ounces, 3 grams per 5 ounces, 2.5 grams per 5 ouces and its possible a gram per ounce would be best.

Brewing time ranging from one minute all the way up to two minutes.

And temperature ranging from as low as 155F all the way up to 180F.

Experiment and let your palate be your guide.

Hebing · White Belt Joined: 27 Mar 2007 Posts: 26

Thank you for that information! It’s going to help me a lot. I found at first I was brewing it much too weak. Lately I have been using 3 grams per 4 ounces of water, and brewing it at 180 degrees for 3 minutes. It is a tad too strong; I think I will reduce to 2 minutes and thirty seconds. I’m not sure on the quality of the tea, regardless I am enjoying it a lot!

Ryan · Sensei Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 475

In this case, I am certain you are brewing it up like an expert.

FataliTEA · Posted: Jan 01, 2008 3:41 pm Post subject:

nutty teadrinker · Uh, Can I Add Sugar? Joined: 01 Jan 2008 Posts: 3

Hey, there, I am new to this forum, but do enjoy Chinese tea a lot. The following is what I have learned and have experimented:
It is said that the best way to brew the top grade of "Dragon Well” is in a plain juice-glass (no color, no patterns, clear and clean)… skip the water part… here is the nutty part: pour the lukewarm (let's say 180F or 75C) water into the glass first. Then, drop the tea leaves into the glass instead of the normal way of "tea leaves first, water second".
Here goes a very nutty part – do not cover the glass when brewing Dragon Well or alike. Watch the most of leaves dropping down to the bottom and the water turns a bit earthly green (It’s about 1-3 minutes depending on the water temperature). This is called “to admire dancing fairies”. Then, breathe in the aroma of the tea soup, sip and taste.

Dragon Well is the best known Chinese green tea. It comes with different grades. If you have the very best one, which comes with "a flag and a spear" (a tender leave and a bud), and which means the leaves are generally hand-picked at the early spring (early to mid March for the first flush and the early April for the second flush) of each year, and hand-roasted (really mean it) by very experienced tea-hands, please do not gulp the tea soup. Please sip, sip and sip as if it were a top-notch wine.

However, if you only have the second grade of Dragon Well such as in big loose leaves or in tea bags, you can ignore the above. A coffee mug will serve everyone well.
Small Green Teacup

greenisgood · Black Belt Joined: 20 Jan 2008 Posts: 112

i've tried the whole glass thing and have found that the tea leaves just float and don't sink until its too bitter, im much more of a gaiwan decanter myself