The five-day window of West Lake
In the early spring of 2026, this lot was picked in the core production zone of West Lake, where Longjing’s pedigree is fiercely protected. Inside a family garden with less than two hectares, the tea bushes — planted to Longjing #43 — were just pushing their first tender buds. The window for a true ming qian pluck is brutally short: this year, only five days separated the optimal moment from the onset of rain that would dilute the tea’s character. Over 30 lots from across the region were cupped before this batch was selected. It comes from a fourth-generation tea maker who still pan-fires each small load by hand, following a ten-step sequence that includes wilting, multiple firings, and the distinctive pressing-and-rolling that flattens every leaf into its iconic sparrow’s-tongue shape. What sets this lot apart is its exceptional clarity of chestnut and a backbone of gentle umami usually found only in the finest Qunti bushes. Each 50-gram pouch reflects that single five-day harvest — a moment of spring captured with technical precision and a deep respect for tradition.