“Long” means “Dragon,” and “Jing” means “Well.”
The best Longjing tea leaves are picked and processed before the Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day), around April 5th or 6th. New shoots of one or two leaves per bud are picked by hand just as they are beginning to open, and 60,000 buds are needed to make 1 kilo (2.2 pounds) of tea.
Leaves that are picked and processed after the Qingming Festival and before Guyu (Grain Rain, usually beginning around April 20th) are known as “before-rain tea.” These leaves create the second best Longjing tea.
Picking Longjing tea involves considerable knowledge and skill. Tea picking is closely related to the seasons. Farmers in tea-growing regions often say “Three days earlier, it’s a treasure. Three days later, it’s trash.” While picking, the hands and eyes are engaged. On a sunny day, the newly picked, fresh, tender leaves must be put quickly into the basket. Seen at a distance, the quick, deft hands of the tea-pickers move like butterflies flying among the green leaves.
West Lake lies in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. Hangzhou is one of the most beautiful cities in China, famous since ancient times. Along with Suzhou of Jiangsu Province, it has been dubbed a “paradise under the sky” and “heaven on earth.” West Lake is Hangzhou’s most celebrated scenic spot. It is also the namesake for West Lake Longjing tea.