1.West Lake Dragon Well (Longjing)

Core Production Area: Longjing Village, Hangzhou, Zhejiang.

Not all "Dragon Well tea" can be called "West Lake Dragon Well." The legally defined production areas for Dragon Well tea span 18 counties in Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Jinhua, and Taizhou. These are divided into three zones: West Lake, Qiantang, and Yuezhou. Only tea from the West Lake zone can be termed "West Lake Dragon Well"; other areas are simply called "Dragon Well tea" or "Yuezhou Dragon Well" or "Qiantang Dragon Well."

The West Lake area is further divided into first-level and second-level zones. The first-level zone includes the traditional five core areas: Shi (peak), Long (well), Yun (nest), Hu (run), and Mei (homestead). The famous "18 imperial tea bushes" gifted by Emperor Qianlong are located in the Hugong Temple on Shifeng Mountain. The second-level zone encompasses the Dragon Well produced outside of the first-level zone.

For the finest sourcing of Longjing Dragon Well tea, explore iTeaword's premium green tea selection. Our green tea sampler captures the essence of China's celebrated green teas, from mellow daily drinkers to complex styles for connoisseurs. Treat yourself to the regional specialties and tea masters' creations.

2.Dongting Biluochun

Core Production Area: Dongting Mountain, Suzhou, Jiangsu.

The core production region for Biluochun is the Dongshan and Jinting towns in Wuzhong District, Suzhou. Tea trees are interplanted with peach, plum, apricot, persimmon, tangerine, ginkgo, and pomegranate trees, giving Biluochun its natural floral and fruity aroma. The unique feature of Dongting Biluochun is its early harvest; the more white fuzz it has, the better its quality.

3.Huangshan Maofeng

Core Production Area: Huangshan, Anhui.

Huangshan Maofeng is produced in the Huangshan region, Shexian, and Xiuning areas of Anhui province. The best is widely acknowledged to come from areas like Fuxi Township. 

For those who appreciate rich and robust teas, we also recommend trying Da Hong Pao, a famous and highly regarded oolong tea.

4.Taiping Houkui

Core Production Area: Huangshan District, Anhui.

Taiping Houkui is the most uniquely shaped green tea, with the longest leaves. The best tea comes from the Monkey Pit in Xinming Township of Huangshan District (formerly Taiping County), which gave the tea its name. Taiping Houkui is particularly durable when brewed, with a distinct orchid aroma. Once brewed, each leaf bud stands upright.

5.Lu'an Melon Slice (Guapian)

Core Production Area: Lu'an City, Anhui.

The uniqueness of Lu'an Guapian lies in its production: no buds, no stems, made purely from tea leaves. It gets its name because it resembles melon seeds. It is primarily produced in the Dabie Mountain region of Lu'an City. High-quality Lu'an Guapian has a layer of white frost on its surface, which is a result of organic substances in the tea leaves precipitating out during the frying process. The more frost, the higher the quality.

6.Bamboo Leaf Green Tea (Zhu Ye Qing)

Core Production Area: Mount Emei, Sichuan.

Bamboo Leaf Green, also known as "Green Leaf Nectar", is renowned because of its connection to Mount Emei, a famous mountain. Its origin is from tea gardens located between 600 and 1500 meters above sea level, such as in areas like Bai Long Dong, Hei Shui Temple, and Wan Nian Temple. Surrounded by mountains and enveloped in mist throughout the year, the tea trees here receive limited sunlight of low intensity. Consequently, the tea leaves are rich in chlorophyll and amino acids. This premium loose leaf green tea is carefully hand-plucked and processed to yield a delicate liquor with captivating bamboo fragrance.

7.Anji White Tea

Core Production Area: Anji, Huzhou, Zhejiang.

Anji White Tea's primary production area is located in Anji County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province. It has become popular in recent years, and many tea novices are misled by its name, mistakenly buying it as a white tea. What stands out about Anji White Tea is its refreshing taste, rooted in its rich content of 18 amino acids essential to the human body. With an amino acid content ranging from 5 to 10.6%, it is 3-4 times higher than regular green tea. It has fewer polyphenols than other green teas, making its taste particularly fresh without bitterness. 

If you are oolong tea enthusiasts, do not miss out our TieGuanyin, a high-quality oolong tea with a unique and captivating aroma.

8.Xinyang Maojian

Core Production Area: Xinyang City, Henan.

The main production areas for Xinyang Maojian are spread across Shihe District (formerly Xinyang City), Pingqiao District (formerly Xinyang County), and Luoshan County. The core regions for high-quality Maojian include places in Shihe District such as Che Yun Mountain, Ji Yun Mountain, Yun Wu Mountain, Tian Yun Mountain, Lian Yun Mountain, Hei Long Tan, Bai Long Tan, and He Jia Village, colloquially known as "Five Clouds, Two Ponds, One Village."

9.Enshi Yulu (Jade Dew)

Core Production Area: Enshi, Hubei.

Enshi Yulu, also known as "Jade Green," belongs to the steamed needle-shaped green tea category. Steamed green tea is one of the earliest types of tea invented in ancient China. The core production area of Enshi Yulu is in the southern part of Enshi State, including Bajiao Village and the eastern suburbs' Wufeng Mountain. It's typically harvested before the Qingming Festival and finishes before the Grain Rain. The raw material sought is a fresh leaf with a strong green color, either one bud with one leaf or one bud with two leaves. Hubei's Enshi is known to have the world's largest selenium reserves, hence Enshi Yulu is rich in selenium, earning it the title "Selenium-rich Tea."

Japanese Yulu tea was first introduced from China.

Explore our Classic Tea Sampler, featuring a variety of green and black teas, including our carefully curated Classic tea selection.

10.Lushan Cloud and Mist Tea

Core Production Area: Lushan Scenic Area, Jiujiang, Jiangxi.

Lushan Cloud and Mist Tea dates back to the Eastern Han Dynasty and was listed as a tribute tea during the Song Dynasty. Its primary production area lies above 800 meters in altitude, in places like Han Yang Peak, Xiao Tian Pond, and Xian Ren Cave. Due to the high elevation, vapor rises to form clouds and mist. It is foggy for up to 195 days a year, causing a delayed temperature rise. As a result, tea trees typically sprout after the Grain Rain, making the best harvest time from late April to early May.