Q&A with a Dragon Well Tea Expert

Keqi has been drinking dragon well since he was a child growing up in Hangzhou, where he returns each year to visit with small farmers and pick up the spring tea for his Chicago tea bar.

He tells me that despite its popularity back in China, most Americans have never heard of dragon well. In fact, of all of his customers, only about 1% have come in to his shop asking for the tea.

How would you describe dragon well to someone who has never had it before?

Dragon well is a green Chinese tea with flat long leaves that are dried in a hot wok. It has a very toasted scent and flavor because of that pan-roasting process.

What else does the tea taste like?

It is a little bit grassy though not as grassy as Japanese green tea. And it's sweet. Green tea is a little bit astringent, but this is sweet. Dragon well also has a soybean flavor.

Americans might be taken aback by the description of a soybean taste. What would you say to them?

Oh really? In Chinese culture, soybeans are really tasty! Maybe we should say it has a mild bean taste.

I agree. And it's buttery!

And herbaceous.

You're supposed to drink dragon well in a glass of hot water and filter out the leaves with your teeth, right?

Yes, traditionally when we drink dragon well, we use a glass cup and put the loose leaves straight in the water. But when we do a tea tasting here, we use a gaiwan [a lidded bowl that filters the tea leaves]. The leaves can also be eaten, though they're a bit bitter.

Do you know about slurping tea?

I noticed you doing that, but didn't know why.

Slurping tea will give you airflow so you not only taste it but smell it. It makes sure your whole palate is covered with the tea so all of your taste buds are involved.

[I attempt to slurp some of my tea and fail.] I don't think my lips want me to do this.

It's definitely a skill.

 What's the proper way to brew dragon well?

The water is the most important thing. Not just the temperature, but also the quality of the water. It's best to use spring water because it has minerals in it and those flavor the tea. It's really best to use water that's close to where you pick the tea, but if you can't do that, use filtered water. We use filtered water here at the shop.

What if you can't use filtered water?

Then use a bottle of water. Don't use tap water.

What temperature should the water be?

We use 176 degrees F [a variable temperature electric kettle can help with this]. You don't want it to be too hot because it will burn the tea and make it bitter.

Though when we go to a tea farmer's house in China, we usually use boiling water and it tastes good. It may have something to do with the fact that we're using spring water from Hupao Spring—Tiger Spring in English. That's the spring that waters growing longjing tea. But here, boiling the water makes the tea bitter.

When should you buy dragon well?

You only have a short period of time to pick the tea, the best has to be picked in March and early April. We will have this year's harvest when I get back from China in June.

[We're sipping a freshly opened bag of last year's dragon well. It is still very delicious.] .

I know dragon well can be pricey. How much does yours cost?

It's $8 to do a tea service here, which gets you multiple steepings. People can also buy bags to take home at about $14–$18 for one ounce. [This is about a 10-day supply of dragon well; you can steep it multiple times throughout the day.]

Green tea is usually more expensive because it's not going to be fresh after a year and a half. We don't even carry the most expensive dragon well.

But it's so good.

Yes, and even though I grew up drinking dragon well, even now when I drink it, I can still taste some new things about it.

Tea Bar by Easthill Tea Co. at a Glance

Basics: Authentic Chinese tea bar serving premium loose-leaf tea in traditional Chinese teaware

Location: Bucktown, Chicago

Where is the tea from?: Small farms in China, Taiwan, and Japan that the owner has personally visited

Best-selling tea: Moonlight White, a pu'er, and Orient Beauty, an oolong

Personal fave tea: "It's really hard to pick, but if I have to, I usually say dragon well." – Owner Keqi Meng

Don't miss: The tea ceremony with Keqi, a combination tea tasting and history lesson ($15/person; up to 5 people; call to reserve)