I love all the teas, they are somewhat mild in my opinion but if I steep them for about 4-5 minutes there is much more flavor.

I would rate them a 4 across the board.

I have received the tea and tried all four samples. They are terrific. I started with the lowest grade tea and went to the highest grade.

From the first test of all four which I steeped 2 - 3 minutes the first 3 seemed to be pretty close to each other. Very light and delicate to the palate.

The highest grade I did 2 tests.

First time was 2-3 minutes was very mild and very nicely aromatic smell. The second time I steeped the same leaves 5-6 minutes which was too long as it was a touch of bitter taste but not overpowering still a nice smell.

It's 5's across the board! These teas are exceptional and I will be ordering much more in the near future.

I would have to rate your teas at 5 out of 5, compared to teas that I've tasted in the past. I was puzzled about Dragon Well's popularity, until I tasted your tea. The other teas in my order were also good.

After having the tea for a few weeks now I can safely give it a full 5/5.

I love it! It has a taste that I would say is exactly what pure, unadulterated green tea should taste like. I'm sure the next time you hear from me it will be to order more tea ;).

Yes I received the tea and it surpassed my expectations. I will be ordering more. I never experienced a cup of tea so pure and so delightful. Keep up the great work! I would rate the tea a 5+++.

Yes I received your tea and I have already drunk it all! It was the first time I had the opportunity to taste different grades from the same garden. It was a great experience.

I found that the A grade becomes more bitter and has a more pronounced "roasted" aroma. The AAA is much more subtle. The Jipin was fabulous, with a deep "buttery" flavour which I rave in Long Jing.

Thank you very much for your tea and your great customer care. I will probably order more later this year.

So far, I have only brewed the B grade Longjing, and I'm excited to say that it's among the finest teas I've tasted. Actually, I was nonplussed by the quality, freshness and fine character of the tea.

I don't usually like to go by a number rating system, but the B grade Longjing would conservatively warrant 4/5.

I salute your dedication to tea and am grateful for your detailed website, which I know will be an instructive resource as I work to brew the perfect infusion with regard to timing, temperature, etc.

I've had some really good green tea in Japanese restaurants, but tea I buy in the stores is always not very good. This was definitely better but not as good as the restaurant tea I've had in the past.

:(.

Thanks for writing. The tea has a very good flavor. I like it! I give it a 5.

I would give the A grade a 5 out 5 just for the mere fact that it is so close in flavor and much less in price then the AAA grade.

A very nice tea, I usually drink it when the weather's very hot :) It is the weather which seems to balance it best.

An intense umami flavour leaves the bag on its first opening, and this is tasted in the first infusion well but struggles in the second, with seeding I have 3 to 4 infusions of this tea, which is less than other greens for which I use the seeding method, and thus the only slightly above average score. I expect this to change with the AAA grade obviously!

The tea is great! I am considering purchasing more for a gift.

I would rate it 4.5 -- just to leave room for some of the higher quality teas. I am very happy with it. I didn't know tea could be this good. I am drinking some now.

The triple AAA was exceptional I would recommend it to anyone who wants to really experience an exceptional tea. For the money, I was surprised how good the AAA is! I would rate the tea a 6.

The Jipin is a better grade but I enjoy one of these teas almost every day and it is nice to know that both teas are of excellent quality and have lived up to their advertising.

The one thing that most westerners do not comprehend is the balance between the caffeine and the soothing relaxing way green tea works when it is done RIGHT!

I was in China last year and worked with many relief teams after the earthquake. The one thing everyone enjoyed was the green tea. I will order more and recommend my friends to enjoy a little touch of heaven from China with me.

I have received the tea last Friday which is exactly 10 days, thank you so much. This Dragon Well grade AAA is so MUCH better (10/10) than Dragon Well grade AA I purchase in China during my vacation last December.

Looking forward to purchase more Dragon Well from you soon Thanks again.

The 2009 AAA Dragon well is amazing. I did a gaiwan pouring with some friends and everyone consistently remarked on how even after 3 pourings it had this wonderful sweet undertones.

The tea also has this incredible creamy mouth feel. I would not hesitate to rate this the best Long Jing I've tasted, so 4.5 out of 5. The reason for the 4.5 out of 5 is that the A grade tea, for the price is almost as unbelievable as the AAA grade!

I got the tea thanks. It only took about 10 days but I hadn't got around to replying yet. This is REAL tea! I wish I could afford more but the exchange rate to $US makes it sooo expensive!

Sorry for the late reply, I've been out for a bit and not checking email. The 2008 batch is quite similar to the 2007 batch with the delicious nutty flavor though it is possibly a bit more aromatic than the 2007 batch. All in all I am very satisfied as usual and give it 5 thumbs up.

I sent one of the two packages I ordered to a good friend and she was very surprised at how excellent the tea was. She didn't realize green tea could be so good and I have likely made you another convert.

You have an excellent product and you provide it at a terrific price...I will be a long time customer!

I am very happy with the tea. I started drinking Dragon Well tea in 2004 when a friend introduced me to it. I bought another batch in 2005. Then I ran out, but my friend and I couldn't find a place to buy more. I tried other teas, but nothing compared to Dragon Well tea.

So I went back to drinking coffee, but I really missed the tea. Upon reading your description, I was convinced it was the same tea I had tasted before. The packaging is a little different, but the taste is as I remember it, if not better.

As Danica said, the fragrance lingers sweetly on the taste buds long afterwards. I want to serve some to some friends who have told me they don't like green tea. They make green tea with tea bags from the store. I think this tea will change their minds.

Every morning, I make tea in a 32 oz Nalgene bottle and drink it throughout the day. It is nice to watch the tea buds swirling in the bottle. I can almost see them growing beside the lake, and I think about the people who picked and prepared them. I am looking forward to the Jipn grade tea!

This is the first green tea that I can actually drink without sugar or an artificial sweetener. The green tea I get at the health food stores always seems to have too much bitterness to drink straight.

Wow! This is great stuff! I'm only starting to appreciate the subtleties of good green tea and this surely is the best I've ever tasted. Plus, your service is friendly and your shipping is fast - can't beat that! Keep up the great work!

Initially disappointed (never tried it before, and needed to train my palate), later pleased, and now can't get enough of it. I've also converted my mum to this tea. This combined with me drinking it by the pint means I need to buy some more.

I ordered two 100g Dragon Well tea portions, and after a few days I received the tea. Each 100g portion was placed in an aluminium foil bag that was inside a beautiful painted metal can. Can't be more airtight than this.

Opening up the aluminum bag reveals a powerful scent of nyponxxxx, and many small flat leaves that are made up out of one, two, or three leaves.

The colour is light-green with a tone of brown. Brewing this Dragon Well tea is a real pleasure as it is quite spectacular to watch when the leaves first float on the top of the cup and then slowly sinks in vertically. Like a water ballet. Mentally soothing.

The smell is an amalgam out of algae, mushrooms, earth, and raspberry. Is also reminds me of how it can smell in an old untouched wood.

Taste is light but not boring. It is kind of a harmonic taste. It is not strong nor not too weak. It is a tea you can drink a lot. It is mild. Slightly sweet.

The aftertaste is fabulous: looong and sweet. Even thought the tea is relatively weak, it still is strong enough to stand three infusions.

The quest for finding top quality Dragon Well tea can be a long, frustrating, and painful one - and expensive, too. Amazing Green Tea has helped us searchers and made the journey much more pleasant. And all this at a relatively low price!

Julian Tai's personal enthusiasm really shines through when he writes about this tea. To know in detail where and when the tea has been picked, and what the tea garden owner's name is give me a more total enjoyment of his Dragon Well tea.

It is like drinking an exotic wine (which I also enjoy) from an exotic wine yard that is owned by a baron. Service is top-notch! Highly recommended.

This Dragon Well tea is very good.

I visited China in 2004 and bought the most amazing green tea from a plantation I visited in Hangzhou. I used it all and have been on a quest to find the same quality of tea ever since.

The Tribute Dragon Well is very good, but still not quite as excellent as the grade A green tea I bought on my trip.

This Dragon Well tea has a subtle, but very pleasing nutty flavor that I find really refreshing. Also, you were right that this tea is robust, I can use it about 3 times before it loses its flavor which makes it very cost effective.

Oh, and before I forget, this tea looks nothing like the shredded, ground up stuff I typically see. Very distinct, intact, small leaves with a pretty pungent, but pleasant aroma. I guess you can really notice the difference between quality tea and average tea...

I'm definitely getting an education with this tea. You and HQ provide a quality product at a reasonable price with excellent customer service. Keep in touch.

The taste is so subtle. Even the strong tannins present after sitting for a longer time are soft and of their worth. It is truly a remarkable tea that you have.

Did you say that your family grows and prepares this Dragon Well tea? I would enjoy knowing more of the land through which this tea comes into life.

... Dragon Well tea is my favorite, and I began sourcing it from several places to compare. So when your tea arrived I had at least 3-4 others on hand in small amounts. Naturally I brewed your tea the day it came and it was marvelous! It is remarkably fresher than all my other (now year-old) samples.

I was pretty excited about the new 2007 harvest, and my excitement was justified. Before I brew a tea I select 2-3 that I?d like to have and let my wife sniff the dry leaves and have her choose the one to brew. She ALWAYS chooses your tea for me ? and they are all in unlabeled tins, so she chooses it blindly.

My wife doesn't drink caffeinated beverages, but she always takes a sip of my tea and, again, she always smiles broadly and lets out a huge sigh after taking her sip of your tea. Even though she doesn't drink it, your tea is her favorite too! Your tea also doesn't seem to be as heavily cooked (pan-fired) as other Dragon Well tea are, and that makes it fresher, moister and sweeter in the cup.

It never becomes bitter or over-extracted. It's beautiful in the pot with all the standing/dancing leaves. It's even beautiful when I dump the spent leaves in the sink: they are exactly like they were when they were picked, no broken bits, a perfect bud and leaf, a pale green color.

I hope it's clear from my enthusiasm that I enjoy this tea very, very much. I will order again. I endorse your tea as the finest Dragon Well tea I've tasted, and at this point I have tried, let's see - six different vendors.

However, there's no need to expand my horizons further: I've found the one for me!

Yes, I got it fine and I'm enjoying it. I guess I don't drink a ton or maybe I am conservative with it because I have a lot left. I hope it keeps, seems to be.

I'd give it a 5 though I'm a novice and not much of a judge. You're welcome to use my comments and I'd be happy to write anything specific you want.

I can't wait to finish my breakfast, because right after that everyone brews a cup of tea. It really is a great pick me up.

On a scale of 5 I would give a 5!

AlthoughI'm not the most experienced of tea drinker, I feel good knowing that I'm drinking something that has had a decent amount of time put into it.

Julian, I really do love it. This green tea is truly the best one I've ever tasted. It's so good I eat the leaves.

Hey Julian, We rate the tea at a 6. We are so glad to have met you (by e-mail of course) We have a cup every afternoon. I'm beginning to feel like the English. lol

Dear Julian, just wanted to let you know that I've received my 2009 batch of the Jipin Grade over the weekend. I was totally amazed by the quality of the tea leaves for the 2009 batch. I'd rank the 2009 Jipin grade as being somewhere in between the 2008 King Grade and 2008 Jipin Grade.

I've ever ordered the 2008 King grade from you before and I must say that the latest 2009 Jipin batch comes very close to the subtle qualities of the King Grade than ever before. The aroma was simply astounding!

I got the tea this week and picked it up yesterday. Thank you. We really like to get small boxes from China. Even showed it to my son's friend. Amazing how long the address is.

I have waited for Dragon Well for many months and when I first opened up the 25gr Jipin bag, the smell was sooo wonderful! Ahhh, now this is quality Dragon Well! The size and looks of the buds and leafs are perfect. A bit larger than last year, I think.

Brewing it, it tastes very nice. Maybe a bit lighter than last year. With 2008 Jipin as a reference: I would rate it 4.3 out of 5 this year. Taste it is 4. Smell is 4. Dry leaves smell is 5+. Colour and looks of dry leaves are 5. Colour of tea is 4.

BTW, I have received the latest December order of Dragon Well tea from you just about 2 weeks ago and am enjoying it immensely. I was and still am pleasantly surprised that it was still so GOOD!

I always thought that with the shelf life of Dragon Well tea being 1 year only, it would deteriorate after having been stored for so many months by the Tea Merchant.

I look forward to the 2009 batch of Jipin Dragon Well tea and will most likely order 1 kg from you. Before I forget, I wish you and your family a HAPPY 2009 ahead! :)

I have finally gotten a quiet moment to make my first pot of your green tea. I wanted to be able to sit and savor the moment, finding the quiet time to do so served to be a problem, many jobs to catch up on from my down time with illness. It is a definite 6!!

I have been telling everyone who will listen and many who don't realize they want to listen!! I have posted a blog entry today to promote the tea - check it out at: http://doriswanderings.wordpress.com

The A grade is definitely a candidate for a repeat purchase, and the AAA grade may be as well. I drink some type of Long Jing almost daily, but this season is first in which I have splurged on the Jipin level of Long Jing. I am still playing with the brewing to determine whether the Jipin is worth the difference in price--especially with the weak dollar.

I have had the same question about all of the other Long Jing in this price range such as Roy Fong's Imperial Long Jing sold by Imperial Tea Court and others I tried this year. They are so much lighter, and the delicate subtleties of these teas require just the right time and place to fully appreciate them.

Here is my full note for your Jipin grade. (I keep notes on all the wines and teas I drink.)

I would say 93 pts would be 5 stars:

Brewed in glass Gaiwan at 170f, cooling to 160f as it brews. The glass brewing vessel is a must, as these little leaves perform a lovely dance. Likewise, this tea is at its best served in INAO wine tasting glass. The shape of the glass makes the most of the subtleties of this brew.

Viewed in the glass, the brew is a clear, beautiful, greenish gold color, and could be mistaken for a fine white Burgundy. The aroma is of roasted chestnuts. Taste are first nuts and toasty grasses with a depth of flavors that includes hints of stir fried vegetables that linger. Nice gan and tingling energy on the tongue followed by a mouth watering finish. 93pts

When your Dragon Well tea arrived, it was much bigger, more flavorful and greener than the "organic" product from [another tea shop] Organic that I told you about before. Definitely a 5.

You can quote me on all that, but remove the name of the company, for your protection and mine. ;) I think that some Americans like the idea of organic...true or not, it seems to be one more layer of protection in a rugged, greedy, not-so-safe world.

I continue to be impressed by the wealth of knowledge on your site. It is an art to present it that way and not come off like you're pushing your own product, or that you are even selling one, or several.

The Jipin grade is the best tea I have ever tasted, though it took a few days to get used to the subtlety of the flavor. I have only used the King grade a few times since I only ordered 10 grams. I think I prefer the Jipin, though the difference to me is very subtle.

I am looking forward to receiving more Jipin and also trying the AAA and seeing how it compares.

Also I would like to mention that I have lost about 25-30 lbs in the last several months, and I attribute this to several things, but drinking 2 cups of green tea a day is definitely one of them. Thank you for providing access to such high quality tea!

I received the 2008 Gong Jipin Grade about 2 weeks ago and have been living in heavenly bliss so far! The lovely chestnutty aroma is good enough to bring one to tea heaven. :)

The 2008 batch also seems to be one notch better than your 2007 batch in terms of taste. There is a delicate (but not too delicate) amount of sweetness, which makes this tea simply lovely at any time of the day.

For brewing, I add about 2 generous pinches of tea leaves to a regular sized mug of hot water (about 90'C). This grade of tea lasts at least 3 infusions. It's so good, I ordered another batch of 250 grams.

I just wanted to let you know that I received my Jipin Dragonwell a few weeks ago and really love it! It's absolutely delicious and I can see thousands of little hairs on the spoon every time I scoop it.

And, I'd say it's a 5, from what I've tasted (which is limited, I admit). But, I can tell you that I love the fact that the second steep is not tannic.

That's a huge problem with Dragon Well in my experience, because I steep them hot and long. After the first infusion, the leaves smell delicious and rich... not at all bitter and tannic. Thanks!

The first time I tried it was WOW! Much more elegant, more full bodied, less bad tastes, purer than the Special Grade. Ah, wonderful. This is the real thing!

It is so soothing. I feel like a monk sitting by a huge mountain just relaxing. Black tea makes me run around in comparison.

Today, I did a wine-style testing of the Special and Ultimate grades. Made 3 brews of each - with 6 wine glasses. Yes, wine tasting glasses. They keep the bouquet nicely in the glass and it is easy to see the colour of the tea against a white background. 4,5,7 minutes brewing time of a table spoon (15ml) of Dragon Well tea. Jipin Grade leaves are greener, larger and less small stuff. Feel like higher quality.

When brewed, it is lighter in colour. More greenish, less brownish and less golden. Also taste more full bodied, a bit more fruity - more fresh (like comparing a new apple with an old apple - more sourly fresh). Smell is also more fresh. Less oily.

I would definitely rate it a 5, meaning the best I have ever tasted; however, I have to admit that my experience is very limited. I notice two differences between the Ultimate grade and the Special grade--(1) the Ultimate grade is sweeter. (2)

I make up 750 ml of tea in the morning and take it with me to work, leaving the tea leaves in. By the end of the day the AAA grade can become somewhat bitter. The Jipin grade does not do this.

Your newsletter has definitely sparked my interest in further exploring the world of tea, and I look forward to trying some of your other teas. I never expected to turn into a tea aficionado!

Yes, I got the tea a couple of weeks ago. Thank You and I love it! I think it's fantastic.

The best green tea I have tried. Mild but very flavorful.

By the way, I really enjoyed the Dragon Well tea samples you sent me. Now when I drink the store bought green it tastes like Lipton tea. I'd swear they put some sort of filler tea in with the green tea. It doesn't even come close to what I ordered from you.

Your tea has now arrived, very neatly packed with all leaves lying parallel to each other - I am all for aesthetics!

We (two tasters) have tasted the tea on three occasions, and we find a very pleasant note - to me rather like an elegant chicken broth (probably what you describe as chestnutty); but after that, there isn't much distinctness right away, I must say; but then later the aftertaste sometimes pops up again.

An interesting experience, indeed! I do like the Dragon Well tea - as I wrote, it is an acquired taste, and I have become acquired to it by now. My rating would be at least 4 (until I taste the other teas from your gardens, I have to reserve the rating 5 - ).

I will look forward to the oolong teas. Thank you for the information. Thanks for the great tea.

I would rate it 5 out of 5 - excellent. It is delicate but flavorful, very smooth finish. I will look forward to the oolong teas. Thank you for the information.

Having received the packages of the Jipin Grade of your Dragon Well green tea after a short wait, we - the significant other and I - opened the package like two kids on Christmas morning rather than the forty somethings we are.

It seems that having spent 6 weeks in China this Year it seems to have that affect on us! The Tea is the finest that we have tasted: it is smooth and has a great essence of the East.

I take a flask to work every day & find the leaves last for two or three brews. I must say that I do feel the benefits of drinking Dragon Well everyday. Having brought 250 grams worth which was great value, we should have enough until the next harvest!

Sunny Regards of the Day to you All Jon & Jane

I received the teas I ordered from you the day after you called. My wife and I can't get over how much better than most other teas we've had and are completely satisfied.

The information for preparing the teas on your website was very helpful to realize the full potential of the teas. I'll be back. . . Thank you very much! (Sorry to rant and rave, but I felt motivated.)

What an experience ! Like a concentrated potion of incredible taste. You get the intoxicating sweet floral aftertaste of Jipin grade, plus the velvet touch of Bi Luo Chun. Incredible Gan.

The color of the leaves and of the brew is more vivid green than with the other grades. Thank you so much Julian to make that kind of quality available to us !

Yes, I have received the tea and drank it all by now. I must say that your teas were really good, and the king grade Dragon Well was amazing! It's probably the best available around California for the price. I will definitely order more. (:

Having now tasted the King grade Dragon Well tea twice (it's in my cup while I write this), my verdict is: A truly unusual tea, difficult to grasp at first, but distinctly of a higher grade than the Jipin.

In the first infusion the smell of chicken broth is strong, almost dominating, only slowly giving way to a more complex array of slightly perfumed nuances, that in the second infusion reveal themselves as spices such as cinnamon, clove and ginger with just a touch of sweetness (evoking memories of Xmas!).

In the third infusion this gives way to a hint of citrus peel, the bitterness of which was anticipated already when the first infusion came to an end. The fourth infusion (where I am now) gives more than a whiff of kelp washed up on the open beach, maybe mixed with hay from nearby meadows - And tomorrow it may taste differently, I guess!