Our Shi Feng Dragon Well green tea tea were all harvested before the Qingming Festival (April 4th in 2021)  in the Meijiawu area of Westlake, Zhejiang Province. This holiday comes from the lunar calendar, which is the primary calendar for both tea farmers the rest of the agriculture world. The Qingming festival has significance in the Chinese tea production because teas produced during this period are considered higher quality than later harvests.

Tea leaves picked before Qing Ming are considered the highest quality because the cool climate and minimal rainfall of early spring naturally keep bugs at bay and preserve the tender tea buds. The alternating temperature in early spring also helps the tea to generate more nutrition, causing the tea leaves taste the sweeter and fresher than teas picked after the Qingming Festival. Harvests during this time are limited each year. 

We will always remember how sweet, aromatic, refreshing and long lasting our first experience drinking pre-Qingming a Shi Feng Dragon Well was, so we decided to offer four grades of this tea for you to compare. The only difference between each grade is when they were picked. Timing is everything in the green tea world. All four grades of our dragon well taste fresh and sweet with a chestnut aroma. You can expect each grade to be grassy, creamy and bright, but there are subtle differences in terms of sweetness, texture, freshness, and how lasting the finish between each grade.

The Special Grade was picked March 15th and hand-processed the same day. The First Grade was picked March 17th and hand-processed the same day. The Second Grade was picked March 19th and hand-processed the same day. The Third Grade was picked March 24th and hand-processed the same day.