2009 Long Jin

[TokyoB]

Ok! Let's start a thread focusing on 2009 Long Jin(g) a.k.a. Dragon Well!! I too ordered (Japanese) shincha but I'm also very looking forward to the new harvest of Long Jin. For me, when I think of the new Chinese green harvest, Long Jin is what I think of. I usually try a few different ones every year.

So far I've only ordered one - the "Shi Feng Long Jing AAA" from Jing Tea Shop. This is also my first order from Jing Tea Shop so I'm anxious to see how long the order takes to arrive as well as how the tea is. The other places I usually try Long Jin from are Seven Cups, Imperial Tea Court and Jing Tea (in the UK). This year I see that ITC has moved to the pre-order model for their Long Jin which is very expensive this year - $35/oz for their Imperial Dragon Well and $45 for their Lotus Heart grade. This compares to $13/oz for the Long Jin I ordered from Jing Tea. Due to the high prices at ITC I will probably skip an order from them this year.

Has anyone had a new Long Jin yet? Where do you like to order from?

[ryux]

I like you poll..it's so simple with only YES or NO haha.
I think Dragon Well is one of best chinese teas available..I do like some nice Chinese oolong but it's not green tea so I guess it doesn't fit here.

I was thinking of ordering some from ITC when it's avail. but after reading your post, I might think over again...it's sooo expensive

[TokyoB]

Yes - $35 to $45 an ounce for a dragon well seems rather high - I'm curious to see what the prices are at Seven Cups. They usually have some very high grade teas plus some mid level grades but their high grades can be pretty expensive although ITC has set a pretty high bar.

As for the poll, I thought of making it more complicated - like pick your favorite Chinese green from the list but since the topic is Long Jin and since I think it is probably pretty popular, I'm curious to see how many choose it as their favorite among Chinese greens.

[ErikaM]

I see I'm the lone dissenting vote so far. My favorite is probably Bi Luo Chun, but I'll be ordering some of the new harvest Long Jing too. For me, it'll be between Seven Cups, TeaSpring, and Dragon Tea House. One of the big advantages with Seven Cups is the easy shipping. My last orders from TeaSpring and Dragon Tea House took so long that I was starting to joke that they must still be shipped via tea clipper.

[TokyoB]

Wow - a pre Qing Ming (Ming Qian) Long Jing from Upton just appeared on their site. I've had some of their long jings before (just ok, not surprisingly) but I don't recall seeing them carrying something on such a timely basis before - usually their new spring teas arrive in mid or late summer. Wonder how this is???? If anyone tries it let me know. I still have an Upton gift certificate but not sure if this is worth the risk.
http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/item.asp?itemID=ZG97

[DoctorD]

I voted yes because Long Jing has a perfect baseline flavor against which to judge other teas. I'm usually content with something a bit farther down the price ladder than ITC and such--which means I've "enjoyed" some fairly foul stuff as well as some really good stuff over the years.

[gingkoseto]

I haven't got much opportunity to try superior grade long jing, and don't know if the best long jing will really make me so addicted to pay the big price But overall I am not willing to pay a price more than 10 times as much as for superior grade of another nice green tea. My "favorite" changes with my mood, and huang shan mao feng is my current favorite

[joelbct]

I said yes, but that's in part because I am no expert on Chines Green... and I will qualify that by the fact there is a large variety of dragon well, there is a super high-end, a low-end, and myriad grades between...

[Salsero]

If forced to pick a favorite Chinese green, I would probably have to go with Tai Ping Hou Kui, but really what I like best is playing the field and enjoying all the variety.

[Chip]

Favorite, tough call. I am not too sure I can pick from all the amazing Chinese greens available to the west today. For at least the first 5 years drinking tea, I would say Long Jing was my fave. Today, I would simply say it is my go to Chinese green.

[funkmaster nice]

I say yes not just because of the flavor but because long jing reminds me of the wonderful time I spent around West Lake.