Review: The Boston Tea Company’s Dragonwell Green Tea

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Part of the The Subject: Dragonwell Green Tea from The Boston Tea Company.


Rating:

Water temperature: 160˚ F

Steeping time: 2 minutes (they recommend 1-3 minutes) — see comments

Tea type: Green
Scents, flavorings, etc.: N/A
Aroma, dry: Fresh, almost minty
Aroma in the cup, plain: Planty, sweetly smoky
Taste, plain: Smooth, planty, smoky, no bitterness
Aroma in the cup, enhanced: N/A
Taste, enhanced: N/A

2nd, 3rd, and 4th Infusions: Progressively lighter in color and taste, but with a growing grassy quality

Chilled: Clear, mild, faint aroma, unique taste

Comments:
According to one Website, Dragonwell is described as follows: “Yellowish green liquid with a sweet vegetal taste.” Another site says that Dragonwell is the most famous Chinese green tea. No wonder that hubby and I were eager to jump at the chance to try this version of Dragonwell from the Boston Tea Company. Our anticipation was not in the least dampened by the taste and aroma of this tea. Quite the contrary.

We did 4 infusions, each steeped for 2 minutes. Each of our infusions had a pale yellow-orange color liquid (not yellowish green). The 1st infusion was smooth, planty, slightly smoky (sweet), subtle, and with no bitterness. The flavor improved as it cooled a bit.

Each subsequent infusion was progressively lighter in color and taste, but with a growing grassy quality. We stopped at four infusions because that grassiness had gotten too noticeable. If you like this flavor, you could go further with at least a 5th infusion.

One thing that was surprising was the wide variety of tea leaf sizes after steeping. We were also surprised to see stem pieces. However, we don’t think that either affected the quality of this tea.

The chilled version was amazing. The taste was unique and mild, with no sweetener needed. A truly great tea, hot or chilled. Can’t wait to have some more. Hubby totally loves it and grabbed a glassful to sip under a shady tree.

NOTE: This pouch is what the Boston Tea Company uses for samples. Their normal pouches are opaque, not clear, and block out light, very important for preserving your fine teas. Pouches are, overall, my favorite packaging, since, as the tea is used, excess air can be squeezed out before resealing, unlike tea tins and boxes.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.