Dragonwell

Tea: Dragonwell
Vendor: Just4Tea
Price: $22.50 / 40z.
Vendor Description: Unfermented and grown in the Loin Peak Mountain in the Hang Zhou area of Zhejiang province. Like other high grade green tea, Dragon Well is made of tender tea shoots or known to be "one-bud-and-two-leaves". It delivers a gentle, dedicate crisp flavor and a lasting floral aftertaste. The tea leaves dance like flowers when it soaked in the glass and create a elegant presentation.

Leaf: The leaf for this dragonwell was much smaller and more uniform than that of the Teavana leaf that I had tried previously. I was hoping that this might be a sign of a difference in the quality of the Teavana tea and this one. As usual the leaves themselves were pressed flat due to the firing process of this tea.

1st Infusion: The aroma of this dragonwell was very similar to that of the Teavana dragonwell that I had tried. It has a rather characteristic flavor, and yet at the same time reminds me of other Chinese greens. Something about this aroma though gives me a headache when trying out dragonwell. The flavor itself was quite light, and at the same time reminds me of most other Chinese greens that I have tried. It's another one of those flavors which no matter of words can describe, but once you have had some Dragonwell you know what flavor is unique to Chinese greens. This particular dragonwell though felt very sweet. Not the same sweetness as a Gyokuro, but a mild sweetness. The sweetness is on the front end of the flavor and it almost pauses before the strength of the dragonwell flavor reaches a peak and then slowly tapers off for a long finish. The dragonwell flavor itself carries a slight bitterness and when you finish you are left with a medium sense of astringency.

2nd Infusion: Nothing much seems to have changed with this infusion. It has a very similar aroma and the flavor is the same.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: While I liked this dragonwell a lot better than the one from Teavana, I'm still not a big fan of this tea. I don't know what it is, but something about this tea gives me a headache. I'm also not a big fan of Chinese greens, but that's a bit more of my personal perspective. I feel that a Dragonwell could do better if I found one with a stronger flavor, but this one feels a bit too mild still.