Dragon Well is the Tiffany of green teas, and more has been written about this pinnacle event tea than any other. The adjectives are running out. The only way I can begin to describe a great Dragon Well is to say it tastes like the very essence of a lush spring meadow drenched in morning dew, mingled with the scents of rich black earth, roses, and honeysuckle.

Imagine imbibing—not inhaling, not smelling, but actually drinking—such a liquid. Once you taste a great Dragon Well, the only problem you’ll have will be keeping it in stock and paying attention to other green teas.

The “well” is an actual spring-fed well (a circular stone enclosure where the water is gathered) with a temple and a teahouse nearby—not far from Hangshou. Legend has it that during a severe drought a resident monk summoned up a lucky dragon he’d heard was in the neighborhood. He prayed, and lo, the rains came, the crops were saved, and the peasants rejoiced.

Tigers (also good luck) get into a second legend. Another drought dried up the spring that fed the well, and soon thereafter, miraculously, two tigers appeared and began to dash back and forth near the spring, causing the water to gush forth anew—as it continues to gush to this day. Since then spring has been called Tiger Run Spring, and the name has been affixed to certain lesser teas.

Drinking Dragon Well made from the first flush (the first spring picking), with water from the well, is said to be the ultimate tea drinker’s experience. When Chairman Mao Tse-Tung met with President Nixon for the first time, the tea they drank was Dragon Well, and it was in springtime, in the teahouse, near the temple. Did Nixon grasp the honor? I wonder. But words fail. This tea demands to be drunk rather than talked about.

Brewing Dragonwell

1. Cover the bottom of the guywan (covered cup) with a shallow layer of the dry leaf, approximately 1 teaspoon
2. Start heating 2 to 3 cups of cold, filtered water in a saucepan.
3. When you see the Fish Eyes (160 -180F) breaking the surface, the water is ready to pour.
4. Pour the water into the guywan.
5. Let the leaves rest for a minute or so, then stroke the water with the lid (or with a soupspoon). Replace the lid.
6. In another minute or so, you can begin to drink.
7. When you have finished one cup, add more hot water directly, as is, from the saucepan.