Dragon Well

[qaymar23]

Yes, amazing review! I look forward to reading your other LJ reviews so I know who to order from next.

[Tead Off]

I tasted Jing's Shi Feng and Weng Jia Shan on Sunday

Keep in mind that Jing's Shi Feng may not be either real or high grade. In another post, Tim pointed out the price structure for real Shi Feng. Jing's is less than 1/2 the price.

Your description also leads me to doubt if this Shi Feng is what the connoisseurs rave about. The better LJ's have a floral component that is often missed in the lower grade teas, overpowered by the nuttiness and popcorn flavors you describe so well. The smell of high grade LJ is really different. I prefer lower temp and longer brew times. Love LJ's.

[bagua7]

Wel, well.

First of all, JTS has stuffed up my order, they ended up sending me 100g of "weng jia shan" instead of shi feng, lol. I dunno what to do, bad karma if I keep the leaves without letting them know...so I will send them an e-mail about the mishap.

Now my turn to review what I brewed this morning:

1. Used my favourite Yixing pot or...wait, wait, was it a gaiwan?

2. Awesome full-bodied green bean smell that characterises quality long jing.

3. Brewing this beast ain't easy so the first run quite astringent due to the temperature not being perfect. Anyway, green bean taste was the dominant flavour. The second run's taste was definitively less astringent as I waited for the water in the kettle to cool off; main flavour was still there: green beans mixed with floral tones but subtle (no idea why blarson didn't experience this, it could be caused by him testing a different batch). Third and last run, almost identical to the second but definitively the astringency was almost gone due to the lowered water temp. I had to go to work so I was a bit in a rush and couldn't really appreciate the real flavours this last time.

Will report again tonight as I will finish what I have left in the gaiwan and probably that would be another 5-6 runs.

[bagua7]

All I can say, after finishing the last 4 runs of what I put in my gaiwan this morning, is that this baby is not easy to brew. It requires perfection: water temperature, water-leaves ratio and degree of pour.

Run 4...green bean taste with honey-like sweetness in the sides of my tongue and also a hint of asparagus flavour. No subtle floral tones as in run 2.

Run 5, 6 and 7 followed suit.

Still, I would like to compare 2010 with previous years LJ.

My score is 7.5/10.

[The]

http://jingtea.com/tea/green-tea/pre-ra ... -long-jing

I ordered this long jing and it was indeed intersting and rich in timbres. so very well ballanced in its sweetnes and its acidity. Almost at subtle twist of passionfruit in there. I recomend it highly.

[rabbit]

Almost at subtle twist of passionfruit in there. I recomend it highly.

Wow that sounds interesting! I'm trying to imagine what passionfruit LJ would taste like... you have def. peaked my curiosity *nibbles a leaf*

[bagua7]

I won't dismiss JTS's weng jia shan yet. It is an excellent green tea without a doubt. A good combination of sweet and sour as Chinese really like it: liver and spleen energies in perfect harmony.

I will review the score again as this morning's brew was awesome.

9.5/10.

[brlarson]

Keep in mind that Jing's Shi Feng may not be either real or high grade. In another post, Tim pointed out the price structure for real Shi Feng. Jing's is less than 1/2 the price.

Yes, both of these teas were less than 1/10th the price of Tim's top-rated LJs so it is unlikely that either is ultra quality. I am new to LJ, however I believe both of these teas are authentic. The leaves were small and slender with uniform size and color and they looked bright and healthy – I am color blind so no color descriptions from me. Also the flavors were distinct, they were clean and they had discernible shape on the palate. Blends often have a uniform taste across the palate. I’m sure there is a reason for the low price, and I believe it is due to the skill of the buyers at Jing Tea Shop.

Your description also leads me to doubt if this Shi Feng is what the connoisseurs rave about. The better LJ's have a floral component that is often missed in the lower grade teas, overpowered by the nuttiness and popcorn flavors you describe so well. The smell of high grade LJ is really different. I prefer lower temp and longer brew times. Love LJ's.

I agree that these probably were not the pinnacle of LJ quality, but they were awfully tasty. Again, I’m new to LJ so I could be talking out ear here, but I thought that the Shi Feng had been pan fired for a little too long because its tannins were stronger and the tea was less rich than I though it should have been. Once more, I enjoyed this tea and I will enjoy it again. The Weng Jia Shan was in-your-face sexy, it reached out and grabbed you, but it also had a short finish.

My goal is to find the real Dragonwell, and the one from Tea Gallery and these two from JTS are a good starting point for my journey. I was planning to taste only three more examples, increasing in quality, but after last Sunday I’ve decided to taste four. My last pairing will be HoJo and Red Circle, and I haven’t ordered Hojo’s tea yet so it might be a month before I taste the final pair.

[qaymar23]

From all the reviews it still reads like Jing tea shop is a good jumping off point. brlarson I look forward to reading your reviews on postcard tea and the others. I ordered a sample of Imperial tea court out of San Francisco, Lotas Heart Long Jing. Roy Fong is the owner and seems to really know his teas, at least from the write up's on him. Price wise the LJ from Imperial tea it about the same as postcard tea, approx $1.60 per gram. My next order will most likely be the LJ from postcard. I really am interested in Hojo LJ and can't wait to read a review about it. I am pretty new to LJ as well and only tried maybe a 5 or so different ones from the lower end of the scale.

[Tead Off]

Yes, both of these teas were less than 1/10th the price of Tim's top-rated LJs so it is unlikely that either is ultra quality. I am new to LJ, however I believe both of these teas are authentic.

I didn't mean they were not real LJ's, just that the Shi Feng is unlikely to be the real deal that is supposed to set Shi Feng apart from other LJ's.

No amount of skill in purchasing is going to get real Shi Feng for this price. It's a pipe dream. It's business.

[qaymar23]

Yes, both of these teas were less than 1/10th the price of Tim's top-rated LJs so it is unlikely that either is ultra quality. I am new to LJ, however I believe both of these teas are authentic.

I didn't mean they were not real LJ's, just that the Shi Feng is unlikely to be the real deal that is supposed to set Shi Feng apart from other LJ's.

No amount of skill in purchasing is going to get real Shi Feng for this price. It's a pipe dream. It's business.

What tea vendors would one purchase some of the higher quality Shi Feng from? thanks

[Tead Off]

Yes, both of these teas were less than 1/10th the price of Tim's top-rated LJs so it is unlikely that either is ultra quality. I am new to LJ, however I believe both of these teas are authentic.

I didn't mean they were not real LJ's, just that the Shi Feng is unlikely to be the real deal that is supposed to set Shi Feng apart from other LJ's.

No amount of skill in purchasing is going to get real Shi Feng for this price. It's a pipe dream. It's business.

What tea vendors would one purchase some of the higher quality Shi Feng from? thanks

I don't know. I know a source in Hong Kong but they don't sell online. The best online LJ I've bought is from East Tea in London. Master Luo's. They have a good interview with him on their blog.

[qaymar23]

Thank you for the suggestion. Is East tea also known as Postcard tea?

[David R.]

Thank you for the suggestion. Is East Teas also known as Postcard tea?

It is not exactly the same thing, but you'll find the Long Jing Tead Off is talking about at Postcardteas (here.) Tim works in both companies. Don't be afraid to ask him, he is a very cool fellow.

His shop is not often talked about but he has some very decent teas - I am very pleased with his wuyi yan cha - and each one of them comes with a exhaustive explanation on how, when or where it was grown, harvested, processed, which is IMO a very good thing.

[auhckw]

Yes, both of these teas were less than 1/10th the price of Tim's top-rated LJs so it is unlikely that either is ultra quality. I am new to LJ, however I believe both of these teas are authentic.

I didn't mean they were not real LJ's, just that the Shi Feng is unlikely to be the real deal that is supposed to set Shi Feng apart from other LJ's.

No amount of skill in purchasing is going to get real Shi Feng for this price. It's a pipe dream. It's business.

What tea vendors would one purchase some of the higher quality Shi Feng from? thanks

I bought some premium Shi Feng from Hojo:-
http://hojotea.com/item_e/g06e.htm

Thread on it:-
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13805

You can contact them for online pricing (much cheaper than their shop price).