Understanding the aroma of Long Jing (Lung Ching)

Long Jing - also known as Lung Ching.

Its aroma is not a fixed signature. It is a construction.

A balance between terroir, climate and the human gesture, where several notes coexist without one ever dominating.

An aromatic palette, rather than a single fragrance. In a cup of Long Jing, the aroma evolves from the dry leaf to the infusion.

It generally reveals:

• A fresh vegetal note
  tender, alive, close to a spring morning
• A light floral note
  discreet, never overpowering
• A chestnut note
  soft and warm, born from the natural transformation of sugars

A good Long Jing does not try to impress. It stays legible, precise and contained.

Where does the aroma of Long Jing (Lung Ching) come from?

The fragrance of Long Jing is not added. It is generated.

The terroir

Soil, altitude, microclimate and the age of the tea bushes form the aromatic foundation. Certain traditional cultivars naturally develop these soft vegetal notes.

The human gesture

Long Jing is made through a hand-firing process in the wok.

Each step - fixing, shaping, drying - shifts the balance of aromas. The fragrance is born from this interaction between the leaf and the hand.

A common confusion: the "roasted" note

Many associate Long Jing with the smell of roasted bean. This is often a flaw.

An excessive firing produces a dominant note, sometimes used to mask a less refined raw material.

A quality Long Jing does not "smell strong". It is built within balance.

A craft of precision

Long Jing is a tea of detail. Every step directly influences the result:

• - Spring harvest, on young buds
• - Withering, to soften the leaf
• - Fixing, to halt oxidation
• - Hand-shaping in the wok
• - Drying, sorting and resting

A few hours, sometimes a few degrees, are enough to change the aromatic profile.

A tea of accuracy

Long Jing is not a tea of intensity. It is a tea of balance.

For centuries, it has carried a certain idea of attention: observe, adjust, repeat.

Drinking a Long Jing is not about seeking a sensory shock, but a form of clarity.

At HOLLIN

We select Long Jing (Lung Ching) in which the leaf stays legible.

No excessive roasting, no dominant aroma.

A tea that holds over time, and integrates into daily life, without saturating attention.