Arbor Tea's Dragonwell Review

Type: Green
Origin: China
Price: Free sample (regular price - $10.95 for 3oz.)
Vendor: Arbor Teas
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 180°F, steeped for 2-3 minutes
Overall Score: 3.0 out of 5

Dragonwell is a green tea from China. The dry leaf aroma, however subtle, is slightly woody and nutty. The roasted aroma is prominent with this tea. Long, flat pieces in about every shade of green slide out of the package and onto the plate. The leaves are not as big as I have seen for a Dragonwell, however. There are a fair amount of tiny bits and broken pieces in this bag.

The aroma coming from the gaiwan while the leaves are steeping is a nutty and buttery combination. The liquor is a pale yellow color.





The taste is a little bitter at first. It has an astringent, nutty bite to it. Hmm… this seems to be a harsh tea all the way around. There is just something that feels kind of stabby on the tongue. The aftertaste is very dry until about five or six seconds later then the creamy, buttery background shows up.

By the time I reached the bottom of the cup, the taste eventually grew on me… a little. It has a heavier body than most greens and it packs a bitter punch. This is an interesting tea, but I am just not sure this would be my go to Dragonwell. I will play around more with time and temperatures to see if it changes the overpowering roasted flavor.