Fragrance Notes Are Layers Of Scent That Are Layered To Form The Final Fragrance. Fragrance Notes Are Categorised Into Three Main Elements Based On How Long They Take To Evaporate, And How Long They Typically Last Following Application: Top Notes, Heart Notes And Base Notes.

GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES Family

Longjing Tea

Longjing Tea offers a fresh, clean, and delicate green tea aroma with nuances of toasted nuts (chestnut), subtle sweet grass, and a slightly smoky-earthy undertone. It is highly refined, imparting an airy, natural transparency and a quiet sophistication to compositions, often used in light florals or atmospheric fresh scents.

Origin: Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China

Extraction: Pan-fired

Popularity 82/100
Longjing Tea

Origin & Extraction Of Longjing Tea

Longjing Tea, also known as Dragon Well tea, boasts a centuries-old history in China, where it originated in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, and was celebrated as Imperial Tea during the Qing Dynasty. As a highly refined, pan-roasted green tea known for its delicate aroma with notes of toasted nuts and sweet grass, its incorporation into fine fragrance is a relatively modern development. While tea notes broadly entered Western perfumery with greater prominence in the late 20th century—often via synthetic accords or general green tea extracts—the distinct Longjing profile reflects a contemporary trend toward sourcing specific, nuanced, and sophisticated aromatic elements from traditional Eastern sources.

Unlike foundational notes such as Bergamot or Lemon, which were integral to the classic 18th-century Eau de Cologne, Longjing Tea is prized by modern perfumers for adding a unique, natural transparency and quiet sophistication to compositions. Its clean, slightly smoky-earthy undertone offers a refined alternative to simpler green tea accords. This note is typically utilized to impart an airy, atmospheric freshness, serving as a subtle bridge between sparkling top notes and light floral or musk bases, appealing to niche and contemporary fragrance houses seeking authentic and delicate elegance.

Extraction Methods of Longjing Tea

Historically, Longjing tea is renowned for its meticulous hand-processing, a tradition recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. The process begins with fresh leaves undergoing spreading (withering) to reduce moisture and bitterness. The core of the traditional method is pan-frying in large woks, where tea masters use ten specific hand movements—including grasping, shaking, pressing, and grinding—to inactivate oxidative enzymes (Shaqing) and flatten the leaves into their signature sword-like shape. This labor-intensive process involves two stages of frying with a cooling and sorting period in between, ultimately reducing moisture to 5-6% while developing a nutty, toasted aroma.

Modern production has introduced mechanical alternatives to improve efficiency and affordability, utilizing high-temperature panning machines that replicate the traditional stir-frying actions. Recent advancements also include deep-processing extraction techniques for research and industrial use. These involve using liquid nitrogen to crush leaves into powder followed by hot water infusion, vacuum distillation using the Solvent-Assisted Flavor Evaporation (SAFE) technique to capture delicate volatile aromatics, and advanced analytical methods like Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME) coupled with GC-MS to monitor chemical changes during different processing stages.

The delicate and nuanced profile of Longjing Tea, with its toasted nutty and subtly earthy-smoky undertones, is predominantly embraced by niche and artisanal fragrance houses seeking a sophisticated take on the green tea theme. While not a historical staple in Western perfumery like Bergamot, Longjing provides a unique natural transparency and quiet elegance. Contemporary brands often center entire compositions around this specific tea note, moving beyond general "green tea" accords to capture the authentic, refined aroma of Dragon Well tea.

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One notable example showcasing this note is **Dafo Longjing**, a scent dedicated entirely to capturing the essence of this particular green tea. In compositions such as this, the Longjing Tea note often resides in the heart, providing a clean, slightly sweet, and earthy structure that is elevated by crisp opening notes like green leaves or seaweed, and grounded by a base of woody accords and moss, ensuring the delicate tea profile remains luminous and long-lasting.

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Other modern and artisanal interpretations, such as **Ecru** and **Creekside**, also utilize Longjing Tea to impart an atmospheric and ethereal quality, often pairing its subtle bitterness with light florals or aquatic notes. This usage highlights the note's ability to act as a sophisticated bridge, offering an invigorating yet calming aromatic experience that appeals to connoisseurs looking for distinctive and authentic Eastern-inspired freshness, distinct from traditional Western citrus colognes.

Seasonality of Longjing Tea Longjing tea is primarily a spring-harvested specialty, with its most prestigious varieties collected during a narrow window from mid-March to early April. The most prized "Pre-Qingming" Longjing is hand-picked before the Qingming Festival (April 4-6) to capture the youngest, most nutrient-rich buds that accumulate during winter dormancy. While the main harvest occurs between February and May to produce high-quality spring tea, subsequent smaller harvests can occur in the summer (June to July) and autumn (August to October), though these later leaves are typically more robust and astringent compared to the delicate, sweet character of the first spring flush.

Sustainability Of Longjing Tea

Sustainability of Longjing Tea

  • Preservation of cultural heritage through traditional hand-processing techniques recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
  • Integration of leisure agriculture and rural tourism to promote economic growth and provide employment for local tea farming communities
  • Promotion of biodiversity within tea gardens by maintaining diverse flora and fauna to enhance ecosystem resilience and reduce dependency on pesticides
  • Implementation of organic farming practices and natural fertilizers to improve soil fertility and carbon sequestration
  • Conservation of critical water resources and soil stabilization through traditional irrigation and land management systems
  • Advancements in low-carbon technology and the transition to clean energy during the plantation, processing, and distribution stages

Trivia

The signature flat, sword-like shape of Longjing tea leaves was reportedly designed to mimic the appearance of tea leaves that the Qing Dynasty Emperor Qianlong accidentally flattened in his sleeve while rushing home to visit his sick mother.

FAQ

  • What is Longjing Tea?

    Longjing Tea, also known as Dragon Well tea, is a prestigious variety of pan-roasted green tea originating from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.

  • What does Longjing Tea smell like in perfumes?

    It offers a fresh, delicate green tea aroma characterized by a distinctive nutty, chestnut-like roasted character, sweet grass notes, and a subtle, airy smoky-earthy undertone.

  • How is Longjing Tea essence obtained?

    In perfumery, Longjing Tea is typically a fragrance reconstruction or fantasy accord created by perfumers to mimic the specific roasted and vegetal profile of the hand-processed tea leaves.

  • What are some top perfumes featuring Longjing Tea?

    Notable fragrances that utilize or center around this note include Dafo Longjing, Ecru, and Creekside, often used to create atmospheric and ethereal compositions.

  • When is Longjing Tea in season?

    The most prestigious harvest, known as "Pre-Qingming," occurs in early spring before the Qingming Festival in April, capturing the youngest and sweetest buds.