The safest way to buy authentic 2026 Longjing is to choose a seller that clearly identifies the harvest year, origin, cultivar, and producer, and for West Lake Longjing, to verify the official anti-counterfeiting or traceability information whenever applicable.
Longjing tea and Dragon Well tea are the same tea: Longjing is the Chinese name, while Dragon Well is the commonly used English translation of the name. The more important distinction for buyers is not Longjing versus Dragon Well, but the specific production area, cultivar, harvest, processing, and quality of the tea being sold.
Longjing tea, also known as Dragon Well tea, is traditionally made by carefully picking young tea shoots and pan-firing them by hand or with controlled machinery, while authentic high-quality Longjing is distinguished by its production origin, cultivar, harvest timing, processing skill, and characteristic flat-leaf appearance and flavor.
