1.Picking

Dragon Well tea is picked with a plucking standard of one bud with two leaves.

2.Withering

The leaves are left to wither after picking for between 6 and 12 hours. This is to reduce some of the moisture content.

3.Frying

The leaves are then fried in a pan with around 200° Celsius which is called “Sha Qing” for stopping the natural oxidation. They’re taken out and allowed to cool down - losing between 20% and 40% of total moisture after 15 minutes. Then they go through a second fry to produce the lovely, elongated flat shape that you see now.