--- title: Longjing url: 'https://howtotea.me/teas/green/longjing' markdown: 'https://howtotea.me/teas/green/longjing.md' lang: en date: '2026-10-23' description: 'Longjing, the flat green tea of Hangzhou: where it grows, how it is fired by hand in a wok, how pre-Qingming tea differs from later picks, how to brew it.' --- # Longjing 龙井 Editors · October 23, 2026 · 5 min read China's best-known green tea, Longjing (Dragon Well), grows on the hills around West Lake in Hangzhou. The leaf is fired in a wok and pressed flat by hand, which gives it a smooth, flat shape and a flavor with notes of chestnut. ![Close-up of flat pale green Longjing leaves](https://howtotea.me/images/c/o/v/e/r/cover-8ddf8364.webp) Photo: [Shizuha](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Xi_Hu_Longjing_Tea_01.jpg), [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), cropped 龙井 Longjing lóng jǐng [Green tea](https://howtotea.me/teas/green) Province: Zhejiang, Hangzhou Oxidation: none, the leaf is fixed in a wok Plucking: a bud with one or two leaves Leaf shape: flat, smooth, straight Harvest: from late March, best before Qingming Taste: sweet, chestnut and beans **80°**, water **3 g**, per 150 ml **3**, infusions Longjing (龙井, "Dragon Well") is named after a village and a spring in the western hills of Hangzhou. The dry tea is easy to recognize: flat, smooth blades the color of young bamboo, as even as if they had been ironed. They get this shape from the master's hands and a hot wok. It is a [green tea](https://howtotea.me/teas/green): heat stops oxidation in the leaf within hours of picking. ## Hangzhou and West Lake [Lu Yu](https://howtotea.me/traditions/china/history/tang-jiancha) mentioned tea from the Tianzhu and Lingyin monasteries near Hangzhou as early as the 8th century[1](#fn:1). The name Longjing took hold later. According to legend, the Qianlong Emperor picked leaves himself in the 18th century from eighteen bushes by the Hugong Temple below Shifeng Peak, and guides still show those bushes to visitors. Today the standard allows tea from three zones of Zhejiang province to be called Longjing: Xihu, Qiantang and Yuezhou[2](#fn:2). Xihu Longjing is the most expensive. It grows on the hills around West Lake, near the villages of Shifeng, Longjing, Meijiawu and their neighbors. The soil is stony, mist hangs on until noon, and the bushes grow slowly. The best Shifeng leaf is yellowish green, "the color of unhusked rice", and connoisseurs rate this shade above bright green. Two kinds of bushes grow in the gardens. The old seed-grown qunti zhong give small, uneven leaves with a dense flavor. The Longjing 43 cultivar was bred in Hangzhou. It flushes earlier and yields even, uniform buds that reach the market first. ## Hand-firing in a wok Pickers take the bud and one leaf in the morning, or two leaves for plainer grades. The leaf then withers for several hours, spread in a thin layer. Next comes the first firing, qing guo. The master throws a handful of leaf into the hot wok and works it with a bare palm: turns it, shakes it, presses it against the wall. This is sha qing, fixation. The heat stops the enzymes in the leaf, and it softens and begins to flatten. After that the leaf cools, and moisture from the veins spreads through the blade. The second firing, hui guo, lasts longer: the master dries the leaf, straightens it and polishes it against the wall of the wok until it shines. Masters use ten hand movements, among them shaking, dragging, squeezing, tossing and pressing. They judge the heat of the wok by touch. Most Longjing has long been machine-fired. Hand-fired tea costs noticeably more, and a trained eye spots it by slightly uneven blades with paler edges. ## Spring harvests The price of Longjing depends on the picking date. At Xihu picking starts in the second half of March. Everything picked before the Qingming festival (April 4–5) is called ming qian. This is a bud with a tiny leaf, known as the "sparrow's tongue", and it has a delicate, sweet flavor and a light aroma. Tea picked before Guyu, around April 20, is called yu qian. The leaf is larger and the flavor fuller and plainer, but the tea holds up to more infusions and costs less. Summer and autumn Longjing are made too, though in Hangzhou hardly anyone drinks them. The liquor is pale, yellow-green and clear. The aroma is of roasted chestnut and beans, with a note of young grass in fresh ming qian. The taste is soft and sweetish, with almost no bitterness. In China people speak of Longjing's four perfections: green color, intense aroma, sweet taste and a beautiful shape. ## How to brew Longjing is often brewed in a tall glass so you can watch the blades slowly sink and unfold. Use 3 g of tea for 150 ml of water at about 80 °C. ![Longjing: dry leaf, the brewed tea and a gaiwan to brew it in](https://howtotea.me/images/l/i/s/t/-/list-i-nastoj-a2a3e52f.webp)Illustration Brewing in a glass Fill a third of the glass with water at 80 °C (176 °F) and add 3 g of tea. After half a minute, once the leaf is wet, top up to 150 ml. Drink after 2–3 minutes, leaving a third of the liquor at the bottom, and top up again. The leaf is good for three infusions. With dense [Bi Luo Chun](https://howtotea.me/teas/green/bi-luo-chun) it works the other way round: the tea goes onto a full glass of water. In a [gaiwan](https://howtotea.me/teaware/brewing-vessels/gaiwan), brew Longjing shorter and stronger: 4 g per 100 ml, water at 75–80 °C. The first infusion lasts 30–40 seconds, each following one 10–15 seconds longer. Keep the lid ajar, or the steam will scald the buds and dull the liquor. Soft [water](https://howtotea.me/brewing/basics/water) brings out Longjing's sweetness, and in [hard water](https://howtotea.me/science/water-and-extraction/water-chemistry) it disappears. In Hangzhou, Longjing has long been brewed with water from the Hupao spring, and Hangzhou counts the pairing "Longjing tea, Hupao water" among its local sights. If you like the sweetness of a spring bud, try [Bai Hao Yin Zhen](https://howtotea.me/teas/white/bai-hao-yin-zhen). It is also picked in early spring, but its buds are slowly withered instead of fired. ## Common questions How is West Lake (Xihu) Longjing different from Longjing grown elsewhere? Under the national standard, tea from three zones of Zhejiang may be called Longjing. Xihu is the smallest and most expensive of them, with old bushes growing slowly on the hills around the lake. Tea from the Qiantang and Yuezhou zones is made the same way, but it usually tastes simpler and sells at a fraction of the price. Why does Longjing taste bitter? Almost always because the water is too hot or the steep too long. Boiling water scalds the bud, and the liquor turns astringent. Cool the water to 75–80 °C, and in a gaiwan pour off the liquor after 30–40 seconds. How should I store Longjing? In a tightly sealed tin in the fridge, away from strong smells. It is at its best in the first six months after picking; finish it before the next spring. When you take the tin out, let it warm to room temperature and only then open it, or condensation will settle on the cold leaf. For the general rules, see [storing tea](https://howtotea.me/brewing/basics/storage). Notes 1. Lu Yu, *The Classic of Tea* (8th century), chapter eight, on the places where tea grows. [↩](#fnref1:1) 2. GB/T 18650-2008, "Product of geographical indication: Longjing tea". [↩](#fnref1:2) --- ## Navigation - Parent: [Green tea](https://howtotea.me/teas/green.md) - Next: [Bi Luo Chun](https://howtotea.me/teas/green/bi-luo-chun.md)