On this page
- What makes Longjing special
- Full processing flow
- Spreading: letting the leaf wake up
- Qing guo: high-heat kill-green and first shaping
- Resting: even out the moisture
- Hui guo: low-heat shaping and aroma finishing
- The ten hand movements and hand vs. machine
- Flavour and quality formation
- Grades and brewing
- Related entries
- Full process parameters
- References
Longjing — often called Dragon Well in English — is the signature Chinese pan-fired green tea. A fresh leaf becomes the flat, smooth, jade-green “bowl nail” only after spreading, high-heat kill-green, hand-pressing and low-heat final drying.
The craft hinges on a temperature paradox: qing guo (initial pan-firing) uses 180–220 °C to lock in the green colour and fresh aroma; hui guo (final pan-firing) uses 60–80 °C to press the leaf flat, polish the surface and develop the roasted-sweet fragrance. One is fast and fierce, the other slow and shaping — together they create Longjing’s famed “green colour, rich aroma, sweet taste and beautiful shape.”
Five Stages of Longjing Craft
Click each stage to see temperature, timing and key hand movements.
Spreading
Moisture loss, grassy note fades
Qing guo
High-heat kill-green & shaping
Resting
Even out moisture
Hui guo
Low-heat final shaping & drying
Refining
Grading, blending, resting
Click through the five stages above to see how temperature, timing, hand movements and leaf moisture change at each step.
L2 · Deep DiveWhat makes Longjing special
Longjing’s identity starts with place. Under China’s GB/T 18650-2008 standard, Longjing tea is produced in three zones[1]:
- West Lake zone: the core area around Hangzhou’s West Lake, source of true West Lake Longjing;
- Qiantang zone: Xiaoshan, Yuhang, Fuyang and Lin’an districts of Hangzhou;
- Yuezhou zone: Shaoxing, Xinchang, Shengzhou and Zhuji areas.
Only tea grown and processed within the West Lake zone by the traditional method may be sold as “West Lake Longjing”[2].
Cultivar and plucking also matter. The traditional Longjing population cultivar gives complex aroma but buds unevenly; the widely planted Longjing 43 buds early and produces uniform, elegant leaves. The finest grade is picked as one bud and one just-unfolding leaf.
Full processing flow
Traditional West Lake Longjing passes through roughly ten steps[2]:
Of these, spreading, qing guo and hui guo are the most quality-critical.
Spreading: letting the leaf wake up
Freshly picked leaves are spread in thin layers on bamboo trays for 6–12 hours at room temperature. Moisture falls from about 75% to around 70%[2].
This does three things:
- Softens the leaf — making it pliable for shaping;
- Dispels grassy notes — some low-boiling green volatiles evaporate;
- Begins gentle conversion — proteins partly hydrolyse into amino acids, building the umami base.
Under-spread leaves retain too much grassiness and may scorch; over-spread leaves lose fragrance and yellow.
Qing guo: high-heat kill-green and first shaping
How heat deactivates the enzyme
Drag the slider to raise leaf temperature; watch enzyme activity and leaf colour ↓
Schematic, not exact values. Real fixation also depends on moisture, time and leaf thickness.
Qing guo is the dramatic first act. Leaves are tossed into a pan heated to 180–220 °C and moved rapidly with the hands. A hand-fired batch uses 100–150 g of leaf for 10–15 minutes; machine firing takes only 3–4 minutes at a similar temperature[3].
The intense heat deactivates polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase, stopping oxidation and preserving the green colour[4]. It also drives off grassy volatiles and triggers the Maillard reaction, forming pyrazines and other roasted-savoury aroma compounds[5].
At the end of qing guo the leaf is 20–30% moisture and already partially flat — about 70% dry.
| Parameter | Hand qing guo | Machine qing guo |
|---|---|---|
| Pan temperature | 180–220 °C | 200–220 °C |
| Leaf load | 100–150 g | machine-dependent |
| Time | 10–15 min | 3–4 min |
| Final moisture | 20–30% | 20–30% |
| Key movements | Grab, shake, press, shape | Mechanical tossing, pressing |
Resting: even out the moisture
After qing guo the leaves are spread again and rested for 40–60 minutes[2]. This lets internal moisture migrate to the surface, re-softening the leaf so it does not break during hui guo and so the final pressing can be even.
Hui guo: low-heat shaping and aroma finishing
Hui guo is where Longjing gets its flat, glossy identity. The pan temperature drops to 60–80 °C, following a low–high–low rhythm. Hand hui guo uses about 150 g of leaf and lasts 20–40 minutes; machine hui guo takes 8–10 minutes[3].
Movements emphasise pressing, rubbing and polishing against the pan wall, repeatedly flattening the leaf into the characteristic “bowl nail” form. The slow, gentle heat drives the last moisture out while aroma compounds concentrate and settle.
Finished leaf moisture drops to 5–6% and the strip snaps when bent; colour ranges from tender green to the distinctive “parched-rice” tone of some traditional West Lake lots.
| Parameter | Hand hui guo | Machine hui guo |
|---|---|---|
| Pan temperature | 60–80 °C (low→high→low) | 80–100 °C |
| Leaf load | ~150 g | machine-dependent |
| Time | 20–40 min | 8–10 min |
| Final moisture | 5–6% | 5–6% |
| Key movements | Press, rub, polish, push | Mechanical pressing, friction |
The ten hand movements and hand vs. machine
The ten traditional hand movements of West Lake Longjing are:
Grab, shake, lay, press, smooth, push, fold, flick, rub and flatten
(Chinese: 抓、抖、搭、拓、捺、推、扣、甩、磨、压)
Different stages favour different movements: qing guo relies more on shaking to cool and dissipate green notes, while hui guo relies on rubbing and pressing to create the flat, polished surface. The master’s hands never leave the tea, and the tea never leaves the pan.
Machine Longjing is efficient and consistent, ideal for volume. Yet the finest West Lake Longjing is still hand-finished, or at least hand-fired in the hui guo stage, because the subtle pressure, timing and aroma judgement required for top grades remain difficult to automate[3].
Flavour and quality formation
Longjing’s typical aroma spectrum includes:
- Fresh / tender notes: early spring bud character;
- Chestnut / bean aroma: from pyrazines and pyrroles formed during pan-firing;
- Orchid fragrance: occasionally found in high-grade West Lake lots.
Research shows that pan-firing significantly increases glycosidically bound volatile precursors (GBVs); these are released during brewing and contribute floral and sweet notes[5]. Amino acids, especially theanine, together with soluble sugars, create the brisk, sweet aftertaste[4].
Longjing tea · flavour silhouette
The silhouette is relative; real cups vary by origin, cultivar, grade and season.
Grades and brewing
GH/T 1115-2015 divides West Lake Longjing into four grades: Premium, Special, Grade 1 and Grade 2[2]. Special grade demands tender, uniform, flat, smooth leaves with a tender green colour, clear high aroma and fresh mellow taste.
Brewing guide:
| Parameter | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Water temperature | 80–85 °C (176–185 °F) |
| Leaf-to-water ratio | 2–3 g / 150 ml |
| Vessel | Tall glass or gaiwan |
| Pouring | Pour gently down the wall, avoid direct jet on the buds |
| Steeping | 1–2 min; do not over-steep |
| Refills | Leave one-third of the liquor in a glass before refilling |
Water that is too hot or too long a steep will dull the briskness and bring out bitterness.
Related entries
- The science of green-tea fixation — the enzyme science behind Longjing’s qing guo
- China’s six tea categories — where Longjing sits in the bigger picture
- Congou vs. CTC black tea — another representative tea craft deep dive
Full process parameters
| Stage | Temperature | Time | Moisture change | Main purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spreading | Room temp, 20–25 °C | 6–12 h | ≈75% → ≈70% | Soften leaf, disperse grassiness, begin conversion |
| Qing guo | 180–220 °C | Hand 10–15 min / Machine 3–4 min | ≈70% → 20–30% | Kill enzymes, pre-flatten, develop aroma |
| Resting | Room temp | 40–60 min | Moisture re-distributes | Re-soften leaf for final shaping |
| Hui guo | 60–80 °C (low→high→low) | Hand 20–40 min / Machine 8–10 min | 20–30% → 5–6% | Flatten, polish, dry and fix aroma |
| Refining | — | Hours to days | Stable | Grade, straighten, blend and rest |
Values are representative; real workshops adjust for leaf condition, weather, equipment and the tea maker’s judgement (drawn from GB/T 18650, GH/T 1115-2015 and processing literature)[1][2][3].
References
- GB/T 18650-2008. 地理标志产品 龙井茶 (Product of geographical indication—Longjing tea). National Tea Standardisation Technical Committee (SAC/TC339). https://img.antpedia.com/standard/files/pdfs_ora/CN-GB/fe1/GB_T%2018650-2008_838.pdf
- GH/T 1115-2015. 西湖龙井茶 (West Lake Longjing tea). All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives. https://www.spc.org.cn/online/1f4ee38ef456cd44a8af812aee2a22ed.html
- 杭州市农业科学研究院茶叶研究所.《不同加工工艺西湖龙井茶品质差异特性分析》. 食品工业科技, 2020. https://www.hznky.cn/uploadFiles/202111/20211101123939846.pdf
- Öztürk, B., et al. (2016). Change of enzyme activity and quality during the processing of Turkish green tea. LWT-Food Science and Technology, 65, 318–324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2015.08.019
- Li, P., Zhu, Y., Lu, M., et al. (2019). Variation patterns in the content of glycosides during green tea manufacturing by a modification-specific metabolomics approach. Food Chemistry, 274, 975–982. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.11.148