Tian Mu Shan Gu Yu Dragon Well | Gu Yu Tian Mu Shan Long Jing - Option: 50 g

Dragon Well from Tian Mu Shan – Gu Yu Tian Mu Shan Long Jing 谷雨天目山龙井 is a traditional green tea of the Long Jing 龍井茶 type from the high-mountain area of Tian Mu Shan 天目山 in the Lin’an region near Hangzhou in Zhejiang province. Unlike many industrially produced Long Jing teas, this tea comes from an organic mountain garden located at an altitude of around 800 meters, where the cooler climate, mountain mists and slower growth of the tea bushes create a tea with a deeper, sweeter and more layered character.

The tea bushes were planted in the 1990s from seeds of the traditional Jiu Keng Qun Ti Zhong 鸠坑群体种 cultivar, an older seed-grown tea plant type with greater genetic diversity than modern clonal cultivars such as Long Jing 43. Thanks to this, the infusion feels more vivid and natural, with greater aromatic depth and a softer texture.

The area of Tian Mu Shan 天目山, literally “The Mountains of Heavenly Eyes,” belongs among the oldest tea-producing regions of Zhejiang province. It is a forested mountain range rich in biodiversity, ancient forests, bamboo groves and frequent mists, all creating ideal conditions for the slow growth of tea leaves. These mountain conditions give the local green teas a gentler bitterness, more pronounced sweetness and a cleaner mineral character.

This Long Jing was processed through traditional hand roasting in a wok, a defining feature of authentic Dragon Well tea. The result is a flat leaf with an elegant green color and an aroma reminiscent of roasted chestnuts, sweet grains, orchids and fresh spring vegetation. The infusion is smooth, full-bodied and intensely sweet without the aggressive astringency often found in cheaper green teas.

The designation Gu Yu 谷雨 refers to the harvest period during the solar term known as “Grain Rain,” which arrives shortly after Qing Ming 清明. In the traditional Chinese calendar, this represents the second important spring tea harvest period and in the Western calendar it usually falls approximately between April 20 and May 5. While the extremely early Ming Qian 明前 teas are often very delicate, subtle and expensive, teas harvested during Gu Yu usually offer a fuller body, more pronounced aroma and a more balanced character. Thanks to higher temperatures and increased sunlight, the leaves develop a more expressive flavor while still preserving the very high quality of early spring harvests.

Among tea lovers, Gu Yu Long Jing is appreciated precisely for its ideal balance between the delicacy of early harvest teas and the fuller character of later spring teas. It offers a more expressive aromatic profile than Ming Qian teas, while still preserving the freshness, elegance and energy of early spring.

Flavor profile:
Roasted chestnuts, sweet grains, orchids, fresh spring vegetation, delicate minerality, rounded sweetness and a long silky aftertaste.

Western preparation:
We recommend using approximately 4–5 g of tea per 200 ml of water at 75–85 °C. Steep for approximately 1–2 minutes. The tea is suitable for multiple infusions.

Gong Fu Cha 功夫茶 preparation:
For traditional preparation, we recommend using approximately 8 g of tea per 150 ml of water at 75–85 °C. Steep the first infusion for around 20 seconds, then gradually increase the steeping time for subsequent infusions. The tea usually provides around 5–6 full infusions, during which the flavor gradually evolves from fresh floral and vegetal notes toward deeper sweetness and a gently roasted character.