Green Dragon (Anxi Ben Shan Varietal)

A Oolong Tea from

Rating

81 / 100

Calculated from 4 Ratings
Tea type
Oolong Tea
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Ingredients
Oolong Tea Leaves
Flavors
Flowers, Savory, Seaweed, Dry Grass, Roast Nuts, Vegetal, Wood, Floral, Smooth, Toasty
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Medium
Certification
Not available
Typical Preparation
Use 11 oz / 338 ml of water
Set water temperature to 185 °F / 85 °C
Use 5 g of tea
Steep for 4 min, 15 sec
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3 Tasting Notes View all

“Idk about these tasting notes, this one is hard for me to define. Seems like a high roast gunpowderlike green tea but I guess it is an oolong. It’s nice, not astringent or bitter. It’s a little...” Read full tasting note
“The dried leaves are pine green and twisted into small balls, like gunpowder tea. They smell vegetal, like spinach or other greens. When steeped, the tea is pale golden green. The leaves unfurl...” Read full tasting note
“A lovely light Oolong. It’s very mild and refreshing. Second infusion brings in some toasted flavor.” Read full tasting note

Description

Grown in the mountains of Anxi county, the home of oolong tea in China. There are several oolong tea plant varietals (at least 12) growing in Anxi, each with its own distinct flavor profile. The most famous of these varietals is Tieguanyin. Ben Shan Green Dragon is a young varietal (a clonal), grown primarily near Raoyang village in Anxi. The plant varietal has strong, heavy branches and brightly colored, distinct, ellipse shaped leaves. It shares some similarities in fragrance with the Tieguanyin varietal.

Greener Oolong
Oolongs range in their flavor (mild and floral to strong and toasty) and color spectrum (from light green to dark) depending on the processing technique adopted. Ben Shan is a greener oolong with low oxidization.

Sun Withering
For Ben Shan, mature leaves are plucked and then withered in the sun (weather permitting) for a few hours to reduce moisture.

Traditional Rolling
Once suitable suppleness is achieved in the leaves, traditional rolling techniques (which include wrapping the leaves in cloth and binding it tightly into ball shape) are applied in conjunction with light roasting. Successive re-rolling and re-roastings are done to achieve the optimum shape and flavor. A final roast is given to complete the processing.

Best Season
Ben Shan is best during spring (April-May) but if stored well (cool, dark, low humidity place) maintains its flavor well throughout the year.

About The Tao of Tea

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