In the old days, emperors drank tribute teas.
For thousands of years, hundreds of these teas existed. Most perished and were forgotten. Today, only one such tea survives: the Tribute Dragon Well.
The modern Forbidden City - Zhongnanhai (Central South Sea) - acquire 500 kilograms each year. The farmers sell the surplus after meeting the quota.
Amazing Green Tea is one of the few places you can still purchase this tea at 100% purity at a great price.
World's Best Green Tea
Being the most famous Chinese tea has invited many imitations. While there are many different types of Dragon Well tea, there is only one Tribute variety.
These are the reasons why this "Queen of Chinese Tea" is so rarely available:
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Dragon Well tea is cultivated in 14 provinces. However, an authentic grade only grow in Zhejiang province.
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Zhejiang produces 15,000 tonnes each year. Its most renowned variety comes from the West Lake.
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West Lake is the Champagne region of Chinese tea. It accounts for just 6% of Zhejiang's production.
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Now, West Lake itself contains 30 different types of this tea.
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The "Source" of Dragon Well tea is at the Lion Peak Mountain (Shifeng). The best tea gardens here bear the Tribute seal. Their teas go directly to the Chinese President - Mr Xi Jinping.
In China, the highest grade sells for more than 100 dollars per 50 grams (2 ounces). It is not really for everyday consumption.
Fortunately, this site's co-founder - HQ - has extended family that owns three tribute tea gardens. By cutting out the middle-men, I invite you to partake in this most special of green tea.
Concentrated Nutrients
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Fancy the life of a tea farmer in the Lion Peak Mountain?
You only work 6 weeks a year during the spring harvesting season. Tea plants are rested for the remainder of the year to recuperate.
The highest grades tea buds are picked in the first three days. They yield the fattest and sweetest tea buds.
Imagine:
The essence of the heaven (mountain air), earth (pristine soil) and men (centuries old handicraft) over the entire year all miraculously concentrated in these little tea buds.
Taste = quality = nutrients
According to a 2004 study conducted by the UK Institute of Food Research, Dragon Well tea contains high level of quality markers such as theanine, EGCG and other active compounds.
These nutritions exist in the highest concentration in these young tea buds.
Naturally Organic
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Tribute Dragon Well tea is highly organic. The Chinese White House lays down strict farming rules. No fertilizers and pesticides are to be used at anytime. Chemical tests are conducted yearly to ensure compliance.
The farming practices have remained Pre-Industrial, relying on the principle of harmony to ensure the equilibrium of pests (insects), anti-pests (birds) and tea plants.
A sanctuary for wild plants and animals, the Lion Peak Mountain has been selected to be a Grade 1 National Protected Zone, the highest level of protection possible.
The tea gardens lie at the top of the Mountain at an altitude of 750 meters, well away from eager tourists visiting West Lake each year.
(Another equally famous West Lake tea is called Meijiawu, they are only Grade 2, one notch below Lion Peak Mountain.)
When you drink a Tribute Dragon Well tea, you are protected by triple guarantees:
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The tea buds are at most a few days old. They are so young that they will contain little, if any, environmental contaminants.
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The high grades are harvested at the crack of spring. Few insects exist at that time, while the high grades are being picked at least once daily.
- You are drinking the same cup of tea as the Chinese President.
Artisan Crafting
The four villages of Weng, Long, Man and Yang are renown locally for producing the best tea. The quality of tea is said to follow the same order.
HQ's tea gardens are found in the Weng village.
Today, everything is still handpicked and handroasted the traditional way.
It takes a good picker 10 hours to pick 2,000 grams of fresh leaves, which is then made into 500 grams of dried tea.
Dragon Well tea-making is an art form that ranks among the most sophisticated of Chinese green tea.
A novice takes three years to master the complex "10 hands movements" and they roast not more than one kilogram a day.
Nothing has degraded over the last few hundreds years. The tradition is well and alive.
HQ's uncle, who owns a neighboring tea garden, was crowned in April 2002 as the Tea King, because of his mastery of the "10 hands movements".
The family roasts their teas together - so you can be assured of artisan quality of his Tribute Dragon Well tea.
FRom: https://shop.amazing-green-tea.com/dragon-well-tea.html
