Picked before the Claire Lumière festival, that is, before the spring rains, the Puits du Dragon Impérial is, according to Mariage Frères, the most prized of the Lung Ching, and the most famous green tea of China in the world. It comes from Zhejiang, and the house calls it the tea of serenity.

Four criteria help to recognise its quality: the golden-green colour, the pronounced aroma, the exquisite flavour and the flat leaves, “like the tongue of a sparrow”. Purists claim that it reaches perfection when brewed with water from the spring of the Galloping Tigers, near a temple beside the garden; soft water, low in minerals, will be the best approximation here. It is a plain green tea, with nothing added.

The liquor is clear and silky, and our tasting notes record notes of roasted chestnut, the signature of Lung Ching produced by drying leaves pressed by hand in a hot wok. The vegetal sweetness dominates, astringency is low, and the finish is long and smooth, with that freshness of the first harvest that justifies its rank.

It is drunk during the day, plain, preferably in a fine porcelain glass or cup, and without accompaniment, or with something very discreet. The leaves withstand several infusions. It is the tea to serve to a guest whom you wish to show what a great Chinese green tea is.

Allow 5 g per 200 ml of water at 95 °C and three minutes' steeping, according to the house's instructions. The Puits du Dragon Impérial is sold loose leaf, weighed and packed to order in our Bordeaux and Nice shops, from the 5 g sample to the kilo, in a packet that protects it from air and light; keep it cool.