Verdant Tea

2022 Shi Feng Dragonwell

2022 Shi Feng Dragonwell

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China’s most famous
iconic green tea
Li Xiaoping is proud to share one of the only examples of true Shi Feng Dragonwell out there- a stunning illustration of the crisp minerality that makes Dragonwell famous. Notes of bamboo, licorice, macadamia, orange and vanilla.
March 18th, 2022 ♦ Shi Feng, Dragonwell
China’s most famous
iconic green tea
Li Xiaoping is proud to share one of the only examples of true Shi Feng Dragonwell out there- a stunning illustration of the crisp minerality that makes Dragonwell famous. Notes of bamboo, licorice, macadamia, orange and vanilla.
March 18th, 2022 ♦ Shi Feng, Dragonwell
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PRE-ORDER new 2022 HARVEST

This year's fresh 2022 harvest is arriving now from Li Xiaoping in Dragonwell and available to reserve with a pre-order.

This tea will ship the week of April 25th. Orders containing this pre-order tea will be shipping right away now that all 2022 Dragonwell teas have arrived.

Crafted by Mrs. Li

Li Xiaoping is an award-winning, respected community leader growing true Dragonwell in the tiny coveted Shi Feng (Lion’s Peak) micro-region with over fifty years experience.
 
Her tea is fed by volcanic mountain springs, shaded by bamboo and evergreens, and grown using organic techniques, hand-picked and hand finished on a wok.
 
    • DATE OF PICKINGMarch 18, 2022
    • Longjing VillageZhejiang Province
    • ELEVATION300 meters
    • longjing quntiTea Varietal

    The new 2022 spring harvest is here!

    Li Xiaoping grows this true Dragonwell cultivar on a perfectly-shaded mountainside in the tiny and sought-after Shi Feng microclimate- a uniquely situated spot with sweet mountain springs, quartz-heavy rocky soil, and mist. Li Xiaoping is a celebrated community leader for her advocacy in sustainable farming and working to protect the Shi Feng region, and her tea is recognized across the world as one of the few true Dragonwell expressions out there, capturing deep minerality, persistent sweetness, and complex aromatics.

  • true
    90
    bamboo, spinach
    true
    70
    licorice, ginger, coriander
    true
    80
    macadamia, sesame
    true
    60
    candied orange
    true
    45
    vanilla
    true
    minerality, thick, potent

    Tasting Profile

    • vegetal - bamboo, spinach
    • spice - licorice, ginger, coriander
    • savory - macadamia, sesame
    • fruit - candied orange
    • floral - vanilla
    • texture - minerality, thick, potent


Li Xiaoping also recommends:

  1. 2022 Shifeng Semi-Wild High Peak Dragonwell
    2022 Shifeng Semi-Wild High Peak Dragonwell
    This limited offering from Li Xiaoping can only be picked in years where the weather is cool and temperate and the rain is very light. At the very top of the peak of Shi Feng, there is a grove of trees that have been allowed to grow undisturbed to preserve a natural habitat for birds and increase biodiversity. Among the trees, the Li family has tea plants that have not been cut back and trimmed every year like the lower slope plants. Because these semi-wild Dragonwell bushes are not tended, they require perfect weather to yield the right flavor. Li Xiaoping was able to pick these bushes again this year and offered us the majority of her tiny yield in the interest of cultural exchange and sharing a unique side of Shi Feng’s terroir not often seen. The flavor is rich, bold and complex, sharing the lingering sweetness an aromatic subtlety of early harvest Dragonwell with the big flavor of later harvests. The tea benefits from Shi Feng’s unique quartz-heavy white sand soil and mountain spring water, as well as the cool protected microclimate that the mountains form.
  2. 2022 1st Picking Shi Feng Longjing #43
    2022 1st Picking Shi Feng Longjing #43

    #43 Varietal Dragonwell was specifically bred and selected to bud even earlier than classic Dragonwell in Shi Feng and yields yellower plumper buds that make for gorgeous steeping in glassware. While classic Dragonwell is all about rocky mineral texture, the new #43 is a crisp, bright focused experience centered around stronger flavor and aroma and more pronounced sweetness. Mrs. Li's first picking of the year is full of all the nutrients and sugars stored by the plant all winter long and offers a more complex, sweet and subtle taste experience. It has a longer aftertaste and thicker texture than later harvests. The soil is full of quartz and white sand while the water comes from natural mountain springs, yielding a flavor that simply can’t be matched outside of Shi Feng itself.

  3. 2022 Osmanthus Scented Dragonwell
    2022 Osmanthus Scented Dragonwell

    In a world premiere, award-winning Li Xiaoping sets aside her beautifully-crisp textural masterpiece that is Shi Feng Dragonwell and scents it with fresh osmanthus blossoms. Her incredible plot sits on a quartz-laden rocky hillside in the tiny Shi Feng microclimate, where sweet mountain spring water, designated national treasure protection from development, and misty mornings yield sweet clean nuanced green tea that sets the standard for all green tea in China. With such famous and in demand tea, it is remarkable that Li Xiaoping is still incentivized to do such bold experiments like this osmanthus scenting, but we're so happy she did! The results are spectacular, and perfectly balanced. The osmanthus notes are light, accentuating the natural sweet juicy qualities of the Dragonwell.


  • "Typically, the prized pre-Qingming picking doesn’t happen until mid to late March, so this year's harvests mark an incredible year, with unique weather that Li Xiaoping says made for sweet, rich, aromatic tea."

photos courtesy of Li Xiaoping, March 2022

  • 4
    6-8
    175
    30 seconds
    15
    4
    6
    175
    8 seconds
    5
    4
    12
    room temp
    8 hours

    Steeping Instructions

    Western

    4 g.6-8
    oz.
    use 175° watersteep 30 secondsresteep many times
    add 15 sec. each infusion

    Gongfu

    4 g.6 ozuse 175° watersteep 8 seconds
    add 5 sec. per steeping
    enjoy many steepings

    Iced/Cold

    4 g.12
    oz.
    use room temp. waterrefrigerate overnight
    8 hours
    add ice & enjoy

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