To brew Longjing tea, you need to know some basic key points :
How Much Water Do You Put In Longjing Tea?
The ratio of tea to water is 1:50, which means that 1g of tea needs 50ml of water.
Generally, experts recommend using 4-5g of tea with 250ml of water.
Because most glass cups at home are around 250-300ml in size, making it more suitable for brewing with 4-5g of tea.
Steeping
For steeping, leave 1/3 of the water after each infusion and add more water for the next brewing.
How Many Times Can You Brew Longjing?
Different types of teas:
Blended varieties: can be brewed for about 6-7 times.
Longjing #43: recommended brewed for about 3 times, maximum up to 4 times.
Picked from differnet seasons:
Early Ching Ming Festival picked: can be brewed for about 2-3 times.
After Ching Ming Festival picked: can be brewed for about 3-5 times.
Pre-rain Longjing: can be brewed more than 5 times.
Temperature Of Water
You should use water temperature between 85-90℃ (185-194℉), making sure not to exceed 90℃ (194℉) or go below 80℃ (176℉).
100℃ (212℉) boiled water left for 3-4 minutes will comes to the needed temperature.
How Long Do You Steep Longjing Tea?
I usually steep for 100-120s, and you can extend to 60-180s. If you don’t steep the tea long enough, it will have little flavor and be too hot. Conversely, steeping for too long may lead to a bitter taste in the tea infusion.
To find the best steeping time for Dragon Well tea, use this method based on my experience. Steep the tea for 100-120s and change the time according to your liking.
Best Tea Water Suggested
If you’re in China, I suggest using Hupao Spring Water or local soft mineral water from Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions. If you are abroad, try choosing bottled waters labeled as “mineral water” if possible.
If you only have tap water, boil it and let it cool down. This will make any extra minerals and trace elements settle at the bottom. Then carefully pour out the clearwater without mixing any sediment into it before boiling again for brewing purposes.