West Lake Longjing is one of the top ten famous teas in China, a type of green Tea. It is named after its place of origin, the mountains around Longjing Village near West Lake in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, and has a history of over 1200 years. Longjing tea has a unique fragrance and aroma, with a lasting and deep scent that lingers on the palate. The spring tea from West Lake Longjing is harvested when the temperature is suitable and rainfall abundant, making the tea leaves plump and covered with fine down. During the spring tea season, the gentle rains nourish the young tea shoots, giving Longjing tea its outstanding natural quality, characterized by “green color, rich aroma, sweet taste, and beautiful shape.” For tea lovers, every spring they look forward to the newly picked Longjing tea, embodying the misty rain and soft sunlight of southern China, all captured in a cup. This is what makes it feel like spring. So, how much does the West Lake Longjing spring tea cost per pound in 2024?
Price of West Lake Longjing Spring Tea 2024 (250 grams)
Entirely Handcrafted Premium First Harvest: 5588 CNY
Semi-handcrafted Premium First Harvest: 5488 CNY
Semi-handcrafted Pre-Ming Top Grade: 3999 CNY
Pre-Ming Premium: 2688 CNY
Pre-Ming Top Grade: 1998 CNY
Pre-Ming First Grade: 1520 CNY
Post-Ming Second Grade: 980 CNY
Post-Ming Third Grade: 600 CNY
Price of Shifeng Longjing Spring Tea 2024 (250 grams)
Handcrafted by Intangible Cultural Heritage Master: 35000 CNY
Semi-handcrafted Premium First Harvest: 13888 CNY
Semi-handcrafted Pre-Ming Top Grade: 11222 CNY
Pre-Ming Premium Grade: 7688 CNY
Pre-Ming Top Grade: 5455 CNY
Pre-Ming First Grade: 4255 CNY
Post-Ming Second Grade: 3000 CNY
Post-Ming Third Grade: 1500 CNY
Quality Characteristics of West Lake Longjing Tea
West Lake Longjing tea is characterized by its flat and slender shape, green and lustrous color, clear and fragrant aroma, and pleasant taste. When brewed in a cup, the buds and leaves appear green. It is renowned for its “green color, rich aroma, sweet taste, and beautiful shape.”
The special grade West Lake Longjing and Zhejiang Longjing spring teas have a flat and smooth appearance, with sharp tips where the bud is longer than the leaf, and a tender green color without any down. The liquor is bright green (or yellowish-green); the aroma is fresh or reminiscent of chestnuts, though some may carry a high-temperature aroma; the taste is refreshing or rich and mellow; and the infused leaves are tender and green, relatively intact. As the grade decreases, the color of the tea changes from tender green to dark green, the size of the tea leaves increases, and the texture becomes coarser. The aroma shifts from fresh and delicate to strong and coarse, with a rough taste starting at the fourth grade. The leaves change from tender buds to paired leaves, and their color changes from yellowish-green to yellow-brown. Summer and autumn Longjing teas are darker green or deep green in color, with larger tea leaves, no down on the surface, and a bright yellow liquor. They have a fresh but somewhat coarse aroma, a robust taste that is slightly astringent, and bright yellow infused leaves. Overall, the quality is inferior to that of the same grade of spring tea.
Grade Division of West Lake Longjing Tea
Special Grade: One bud and one leaf just beginning to unfold, with a small angle between the bud and leaf, the bud longer than the leaf, the buds and leaves uniformly plump and robust, with a length not exceeding 2.5 cm.
First Grade: One bud and one leaf to one bud and two leaves just beginning to unfold, mostly one bud and one leaf, with less than 10% one bud and two leaves just beginning to unfold, the bud slightly longer than the leaf, the buds and leaves complete and uniform, with a length not exceeding 3 cm.
Second Grade: One bud and one leaf to one bud and two leaves, with less than 30% one bud and two leaves, the length of the bud and leaf roughly equal, the buds and leaves complete, with a length not exceeding 3.5 cm.
Third Grade: One bud and two leaves to one bud and three leaves just beginning to unfold, mostly one bud and two leaves, with less than 30% one bud and three leaves, the leaf longer than the bud, the buds and leaves complete, with a length not exceeding 4 cm.
Fourth Grade: One bud and two leaves to one bud and three leaves, with less than 50% one bud and three leaves, the leaf longer than the bud, including some tender paired leaves, with a length not exceeding 4.5 cm.