Longjing Tea Village

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After three years traveling in China you may think there is nothing left to see but I recently took a trip to the famous Longjing tea villages in Hangzhou with the American Women’s Club and several friends.



Longjing Tea is sometimes called by its literal name Dragon Well Tea and is a variety of pan fried green tea. It is mostly hand processed and is known for its high quality. At the peak of processing it brings in top dollars as is seen by the new villages that the profits have built in the fields.



Once we arrived at the village, we were given our hats and baskets and taken into the fields to see the process firsthand and take part in picking some tea to process later in the village. It was a lot of fun but really hot and humid. I think we were all glad to sit down for the amazing lunch that the kitchen staff had prepared for us.



After a well needed rest we took a tour of the village then watch our tea being roasted. We then sat down for a tea demonstration and given the opportunity to buy some tea to take back home. I know what everyone is thinking; last stop through the gift shop but this opportunity was different. This was a chance for us to finally buy a meaningful gift for our Chinese friends. I bought some for our driver, Mr. Ni, and he seemed to be very excited to get the gift.

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Photos

Head of Family
Grandma is 90 years old and still keeping everyone in line.