I woke up this morning and finally smelled and tasted the Dragonwell.
Ive been working on this tea for a couple of years trying to find
something I like. I assumed it was my preference of drinking teas off
the top or what I call 'in the nude' straight from a cup that was a
limitation. I gave up technique for straight taste and aroma. This
morning everything fell in place. It reminds me of a non intoxicating
LiuAn GuaPian. I know my preferences for teas are related to my
biorythms like how much exercise and what I ate yesterday. This is
the first time I felt something snap in my subconcious. I think it
was the final exclamation point if a tea is representative of what it
is then the taste is a given and at that point let the subconscious
develop a rapprochement relating tea taste if need be.

Jim

On May 1, 10:27*am, wrote:
> I woke up this morning and finally smelled and tasted the Dragonwell.
> Ive been working on this tea for a couple of years trying to find
> something I like. *I assumed it was my preference of drinking teas off
> the top or what I call 'in the nude' straight from a cup that was a
> limitation. *I gave up technique for straight taste and aroma. *This
> morning everything fell in place. *It reminds me of a non intoxicating
> LiuAn GuaPian. *I know my preferences for teas are related to my
> biorythms like how much exercise and what I ate yesterday. *This is
> the first time I felt something snap in my subconcious. *I think it
> was the final exclamation point if a tea is representative of what it
> is then the taste is a given and at that point let the subconscious
> develop a rapprochement relating tea taste if need be.
>
> Jim

I've sampled Lung Ching (Dragonwell) and decided I just don't
especially want to go further with it- a perfectly good tea that
doesn't especially speak to my soul. I hope I won't get an epiphany
some rainy afternoon when I don't have it on hand. Toci

On May 5, 5:57*am, toci > wrote:
> On May 1, 10:27*am, wrote:
>
> > I woke up this morning and finally smelled and tasted the Dragonwell.
> > Ive been working on this tea for a couple of years trying to find
> > something I like. *I assumed it was my preference of drinking teas off
> > the top or what I call 'in the nude' straight from a cup that was a
> > limitation. *I gave up technique for straight taste and aroma. *This
> > morning everything fell in place. *It reminds me of a non intoxicating
> > LiuAn GuaPian. *I know my preferences for teas are related to my
> > biorythms like how much exercise and what I ate yesterday. *This is
> > the first time I felt something snap in my subconcious. *I think it
> > was the final exclamation point if a tea is representative of what it
> > is then the taste is a given and at that point let the subconscious
> > develop a rapprochement relating tea taste if need be.
>
> > Jim
>
> I've sampled Lung Ching (Dragonwell) and decided I just don't
> especially want to go further with it- a perfectly good tea that
> doesn't especially speak to my soul. *I hope I won't get an epiphany
> some rainy afternoon when I don't have it on hand. * * Toci

I've been there, and similarly wrote it off... and now a couple years
after my last cup I do find myself enjoying the nutty/roasted quality
of it on occasion. It still isn't my favorite, and I'd have to say it
has been one of the most wildly varying teas with no basis in
anything... expensive, inexpensive, supposedly guaranteed genuine,
most assuredly fake, etc. and none of those have any effect on which
are actually good. I've had obviously cheap/fake Dragonwell which was
great and I've had some hand-delivered, genuine that was not for me at
all. I think it is that total unknown factor that keeps me away
mostly. It has it's place and finding the right one for you is the
trickiest part.

- Dominic

On May 5, 8:02*pm, "Dominic T." > wrote:
> On May 5, 5:57*am, toci > wrote:
>
>
>
> > On May 1, 10:27*am, wrote:
>
> > > I woke up this morning and finally smelled and tasted the Dragonwell.
> > > Ive been working on this tea for a couple of years trying to find
> > > something I like. *I assumed it was my preference of drinking teas off
> > > the top or what I call 'in the nude' straight from a cup that was a
> > > limitation. *I gave up technique for straight taste and aroma. *This
> > > morning everything fell in place. *It reminds me of a non intoxicating
> > > LiuAn GuaPian. *I know my preferences for teas are related to my
> > > biorythms like how much exercise and what I ate yesterday. *This is
> > > the first time I felt something snap in my subconcious. *I think it
> > > was the final exclamation point if a tea is representative of what it
> > > is then the taste is a given and at that point let the subconscious
> > > develop a rapprochement relating tea taste if need be.
>
> > > Jim
>
> > I've sampled Lung Ching (Dragonwell) and decided I just don't
> > especially want to go further with it- a perfectly good tea that
> > doesn't especially speak to my soul. *I hope I won't get an epiphany
> > some rainy afternoon when I don't have it on hand. * * Toci
>
> I've been there, and similarly wrote it off... and now a couple years
> after my last cup I do find myself enjoying the nutty/roasted quality
> of it on occasion. It still isn't my favorite, and I'd have to say it
> has been one of the most wildly varying teas with no basis in
> anything... expensive, inexpensive, supposedly guaranteed genuine,
> most assuredly fake, etc. and none of those have any effect on which
> are actually good. I've had obviously cheap/fake Dragonwell which was
> great and I've had some hand-delivered, genuine that was not for me at
> all. I think it is that total unknown factor that keeps me away
> mostly. It has it's place and finding the right one for you is the
> trickiest part.
>
> - Dominic

I agree with Dominic. Living in Zhejiang province, as I do at the
moment, I have experienced a wide variety of "Longjing" type teas. I
would not presume to tell anyone what is 'real' and what is 'fake' but
I have seen with my own eyes that Longjing varietals are grown in
every corner of this province and most of what is grown and processed
into flat bud shaped green is not grown in West lake. While I like
fresh Longjing quite a bit, I am not interested in it after it is a
couple months old. I don't know why it is more famous than the myriad
other tea types that can be found in every corner of Zhejiang as well
as Jiangxi, Anhui etc.

On May 7, 2:12*pm, Will > wrote:
> On May 5, 8:02*pm, "Dominic T." > wrote:
>
>
>
> > On May 5, 5:57*am, toci > wrote:
>
> > > On May 1, 10:27*am, wrote:
>
> > > > I woke up this morning and finally smelled and tasted the Dragonwell.
> > > > Ive been working on this tea for a couple of years trying to find
> > > > something I like. *I assumed it was my preference of drinking teas off
> > > > the top or what I call 'in the nude' straight from a cup that was a
> > > > limitation. *I gave up technique for straight taste and aroma. *This
> > > > morning everything fell in place. *It reminds me of a non intoxicating
> > > > LiuAn GuaPian. *I know my preferences for teas are related to my
> > > > biorythms like how much exercise and what I ate yesterday. *This is
> > > > the first time I felt something snap in my subconcious. *I think it
> > > > was the final exclamation point if a tea is representative of what it
> > > > is then the taste is a given and at that point let the subconscious
> > > > develop a rapprochement relating tea taste if need be.
>
> > > > Jim
>
> > > I've sampled Lung Ching (Dragonwell) and decided I just don't
> > > especially want to go further with it- a perfectly good tea that
> > > doesn't especially speak to my soul. *I hope I won't get an epiphany
> > > some rainy afternoon when I don't have it on hand. * * Toci
>
> > I've been there, and similarly wrote it off... and now a couple years
> > after my last cup I do find myself enjoying the nutty/roasted quality
> > of it on occasion. It still isn't my favorite, and I'd have to say it
> > has been one of the most wildly varying teas with no basis in
> > anything... expensive, inexpensive, supposedly guaranteed genuine,
> > most assuredly fake, etc. and none of those have any effect on which
> > are actually good. I've had obviously cheap/fake Dragonwell which was
> > great and I've had some hand-delivered, genuine that was not for me at
> > all. I think it is that total unknown factor that keeps me away
> > mostly. It has it's place and finding the right one for you is the
> > trickiest part.
>
> > - Dominic
>
> I agree with Dominic. Living in Zhejiang province, as I do at the
> moment, I have experienced a wide variety of "Longjing" type teas. I
> would not presume to tell anyone what is 'real' and what is 'fake' but
> I have seen with my own eyes that Longjing varietals are grown in
> every corner of this province and most of what is grown and processed
> into flat bud shaped green is not grown in West lake. While I like
> fresh Longjing quite a bit, I am not interested in it after it is a
> couple months old. I don't know why it is more famous than the myriad
> other tea types that can be found in every corner of Zhejiang as well
> as Jiangxi, Anhui etc.

Well, at least it isn't just me I was considering Dragonwell grown
in West Lake to be "genuine" and the rest to be "fake." Not fake as in
it's grown in a whole other country (which also seems to happen), it's
still processed in the style of Dragonwell tea just not right from the
source... it's not like you open up a package and it is keemun inside
or anything. The only ones that truly worry me are the ones that seem
to be coated in some substance to make them especially bright green
and stay that way.

It has to be fresh or it's not even worth the effort. I agree though,
that as I work my way around Chinese greens that I find many that have
the same nutty/roasted/chestnut type flavors without all the wild
variance and sometimes price that Dragonwell can have.

- Dominic

I dont know what is more popular in a Chinese grocery store TGY or
Lung Ching. You got your choice of brands. Ill pay attention to the
commercial taste versus what I can get at a exclusive Chinese tea
shoppe. There is a guy at the PPP tastings who I understand always
brings back Dragonwell from his trips to China since it his favorite.
Maybe I can trade him some puer which just recently requires a minimum
seal of approval about location and leaf type. You single out any tea
and taste enough of it you know the difference is related to other
factors besides being bogus. With Dragonwell you can start with
grading and the time of year. The Chinese relate grading to quality
which means you pay more or less.

Jim

PS If I cant taste the muscatel in Darjeeling then the chestnut in LJ
is probably more illusive. However I could pick out a Darjeeling in a
blind taste test. I dont drink enough LJ to say that.

On May 7, 2:41 pm, "Dominic T." > wrote:
> On May 7, 2:12 pm, Will > wrote:
>
> > On May 5, 8:02 pm, "Dominic T." > wrote:
>
> > > On May 5, 5:57 am, toci > wrote:
>
> > > > On May 1, 10:27 am, wrote:
....green bandwidth conservation...
> Well, at least it isn't just me I was considering Dragonwell grown
> in West Lake to be "genuine" and the rest to be "fake." Not fake as in
> it's grown in a whole other country (which also seems to happen), it's
> still processed in the style of Dragonwell tea just not right from the
> source... it's not like you open up a package and it is keemun inside
> or anything. The only ones that truly worry me are the ones that seem
> to be coated in some substance to make them especially bright green
> and stay that way.
>
> It has to be fresh or it's not even worth the effort. I agree though,
> that as I work my way around Chinese greens that I find many that have
> the same nutty/roasted/chestnut type flavors without all the wild
> variance and sometimes price that Dragonwell can have.
>
> - Dominic