Meijiawu tea plantation of Long Jing Cha 龙井茶

China

Meijiawu tea plantation of Long Jing Cha 龙井茶 – Hangzhou, China

Hello there !

In this blog, you’ll learn about the famous Long Jing Tea produced in the area of Longjing village in Zhejiang proving. The village is located near the famous West Lake in Hangzhou, a UNESCO world heritage site. Longjing Cha means, Dragon well tea. It is renowned worldwide for its high quality although the tea is largely consumed in China.

How to get to meijiawucun?

By Taxi from Hangzhou

The fastest way to reach Meijiawu village is to take the taxi from Hangzhou :

Here the details :

Why to visit meijiawucun?

1 - Escape the city

In the past, I was living in Shanghai, arriving in Meijiawucun is a big change. Real countryside, greenery, mountains, forest, and cute village. A real escape for the afternoon. The village wasn’t swamped with tourists, it was very quiet.

2 - Terrasse tea plantation

Ladies were harvesting the tea leaves, wearing straw hats & long sleeves to protect themselves from the sun. We were welcomed with a big smile and wave. What a warm welcome. Very enjoyable sharing those moments and learn more about the culture.

3 - learn the production process of the tea

The Longjing tea is well-known worldwide for its quality. There are 6 levels of Longjing tea. The highest quality of leaves is light green color, flat shape, thin and well defined the shape.

First, the tea is selected, then let dry in some flat natural fiber basket to reduce the bitter taste. This tea isn’t rolled, farmers keep its natural shape. Finally, slowly warm up in a sort of open oven. (right picture). It is a frying process that reduces the water.

In China, the Emperor was very influential. The legend said the Kangxi Emperor’s grandson, Qianlong from the Qing Dynasty visited the west lake and was offered a cup of Longjing Tea. He liked it very much that the tea was granted the status of Gong Cha or imperial tea.

The next step was to negotiate our tea in Mandarin. Real business.

4 - Local lunch & tea degustation

After the visit, time for lunch. Delicious

how to dring the longjing tea?

Take the time to savor a cup of tea in a tea house. The atmosphere is remarkable and authentic. You’ll be serving the best tea since they know the process. Drink tea in China is a real ceremony.

What do you need ? glass, Longjing tea & spring water.

First, it is recommended to take one coffee spoon of tea, pour about 50ml of boiled water (80 to 90 degrees) to clean the leaves.

Then, pour 150 ml of 85 degrees water in the glass with the tea, wait 7 minutes. Usually, the leaves would drown at the bottom of the cup. Finally, enjoy the cup of tea, some would say to drink it within the next 3 minutes. However, it can still be too hot.