If we compare the West Lake to Xi Shi, we can say that fine Tea is like a beautiful woman. The excellence of West Lake Longjing tea needs no further elaboration, but the market is full of mixed quality and it's hard to distinguish between genuine and fake products. If you end up with inferior tea, it will undoubtedly affect your enjoyment of the tea. Therefore, knowing some tips for selecting West Lake Longjing tea is crucial. Here's how to discern the quality of West Lake Longjing tea:
How to Select West Lake Longjing Tea?
1. Touch
Judge the dryness of the tea. Pick a random piece of dried tea and crush it between your thumb and index finger. If it turns into powder easily, then it is sufficiently dry; if it breaks into small pieces, then it is not dry enough or has absorbed moisture. Tea that is not dry enough is difficult to store and lacks aroma.
2. Look
Check if the dried tea meets the basic characteristics of Longjing tea: West Lake Longjing tea has a lustrous green color, a delicate and elegant fragrance, a fresh and mellow taste, and a shape resembling a sparrow's tongue, possessing the four distinct features of “color, aroma, taste, and shape.”
3. Smell
Smell the aroma of the dried tea to determine its intensity and type, and check for any smoky, burnt, sour, rancid, or moldy odors, as well as other undesirable smells.
4. Taste
Once the moisture content, appearance, color, and aroma of the dried tea meet the requirements, proceed with the Infusion evaluation. Place 3 to 4 grams of Longjing tea in a cup or bowl, pour in 150 to 200 milliliters of boiling water, and after 5 minutes, first smell whether the aroma is tender and fragrant, then observe if the tea broth is tender and bright green, carefully taste if the flavor is fresh, pure, and sweet, and finally evaluate if the leaves at the bottom are tender and whole, uniform in size. This step is particularly important.
In summary, tea lovers need to go through the four steps of touch, look, smell, and taste to determine the authenticity of West Lake Longjing tea. Genuine West Lake Longjing tea has a clear and bright broth, which remains largely clear even on the second day, unlike counterfeit versions. Today's market is an era of brand competition, and besides the brand, the quality of the tea is paramount. When choosing a brand of West Lake Longjing, one should be cautious. Authentic West Lake Longjing teas come with verifiable anti-counterfeiting labels. When making a purchase, remember to ask the seller if there is an anti-counterfeiting label! Generally, the price of West Lake Longjing ranges from 200 yuan to 8,000 yuan per catty, and the price of West Lake Longjing tea is related to factors such as growing region, tea Tree variety, production batch, picking season, and tea-making technique. Therefore, when making a selection, one must be careful to discern these aspects. (Source: Youjian Tea Community, Image Source: Tea Friends Network)