In June 2024, when we were planning to start this shop, we visited the original dragon well in in the mountains surrounding Hangzhou. The well is a source of spring water, and is so named because when disturbing the water with a stick, the ripples on the surface resemble dragon scales.
Hangzhou's famous green tea is named after this well, and Pre-Qingming (Mingqian) Dragonwell is the highest quality. Mingqian refers to the time when the leaves were picked. Only dragonwell made from leaves plucked before the Tomb-Sweeping Festival (Qingming) can be called Mingqian.
Qingming is a traditional public holiday in China dedicated to paying respects to one's ancestors and cleaning their graves. It falls on April 4th or April 5th each year. This means Mingqian tea must be picked and processed before the 4th or 5th of April. Pre-Qingming Dragonwell is the freshest dragonwell available, with exquisite aroma, and a high price to match. Every year there is only a very limited quantity available. Our 2025 Pre-Qingming Dragonwell was picked on the 22nd March 2025.
Spring is a time of new beginnings. We launched our shop in Spring 2025. We decided to offer Dragonwell as our first ever tea because it reminds us of our time in Hangzhou: the Spring rain falling on the leaves, and the silky water of the West Lake.
Where we source Dragonwell
We previously lived in Hangzhou where we made connections to tea farmers. This year we sourced our Pre-Qingming Dragonwell from a family farm close to Lin'an, in the west of Hangzhou. The family have tended the farm for over 12 years. The environment is clean and beautiful, with the tea trees surrounded by purple wisteria and white pear trees. The family only pick Pre-Qingming tea, they won't pick any lower grades of Dragonwell after the 4th of April.
By choosing to source from a farm outside of the famed West Lake area, we can offer a tea with a better price to quality ratio and a classic longjing roasted bean aroma. We were also impressed with the quality of last year's tea from this family. Even 1 year after picking, the tea had a impressive longevity and aroma. While many other green teas lose their flavour over a year, this one retained its sweetness and distinct roasted bean flavour. Over time, the pale green colour of the new tea's liquor will change into a golden colour, and the vegetable sweetness will transform into a more sugary sweetness.