Compare two teas
Side by side across seven dimensions. There is no verdict and no winner — the purpose is to understand the difference, not to be told which to buy.
TeaHQ has written about this pair
The two most famous Chinese green teas, both from the lower Yangtze, both hand-shaped, and shaped in opposite directions.
- Shape
- Longjing: Pressed flat against a hot wok.Bi Luo Chun: Rolled into fine downy spirals.
- Flavour
- Longjing: Toasted chestnut and sweet grass.Bi Luo Chun: Fruity and floral, with a delicate sweetness.
- Fragility
- Longjing: Robust enough for a normal pour.Bi Luo Chun: Very fragile — leaf is traditionally dropped onto poured water rather than the reverse.
- How to spot quality
- Longjing: Uniform flat blades and a real chestnut aroma; machine shaping is very uniform and less aromatic.Bi Luo Chun: Fine downy hairs and tight spirals.
- Season
- Longjing: Pre-Qingming picking is the most prized.Bi Luo Chun: The same, and both are widely imitated by earlier-budding cultivars.
In summary: Longjing is the more forgiving and the better first Chinese green tea. Bi Luo Chun rewards care and punishes a careless pour.
Point by point
| Dimension | Longjing | Bi Luo Chun |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Green tea · unoxidised | Green tea · unoxidised |
| Production | In order: Withering → Kill-green (fixation) → Drying. bud and one leaf and first flush harvest. | In order: Withering → Kill-green (fixation) → Rolling and shaping. bud and one leaf and first flush harvest. |
| Origin | China — Protected designation: West Lake Longjing carries a Chinese protected-origin designation restricted to a defined area of Hangzhou. | China |
| Flavour | nutty, sweet and vegetal. light and smooth in the mouth. Aroma: roasted chestnut, toasted rice, orchid, fresh beans. Moderate in character. Moderate in intensity. | floral, fruity and sweet. light and silky in the mouth. Aroma: stone fruit, white flowers, fresh cream, green almond. Layered in character. Moderate in intensity. |
| Brewing | Western brewing (teapot or mug): 1.5–2.5 g/100 ml at 75–85 °C, first steep 120s. Grandpa style: 0.5–1 g/100 ml at 75–85 °C, first steep 180s. Cold brew tea: 1–2 g/100 ml at 4–10 °C, first steep 21600s. Gongfu brewing (gaiwan): 3–4 g/100 ml at 75–85 °C, first steep 20s of 4 authored. | Western brewing (teapot or mug): 1–2 g/100 ml at 70–80 °C, first steep 90s. Grandpa style: 0.5–1 g/100 ml at 75–85 °C, first steep 180s. Gongfu brewing (gaiwan): 3–4 g/100 ml at 75–85 °C, first steep 20s of 4 authored. |
| Cultural context | Used in Chinese tea house culture and Longjing and the spring tea season. Far more tea is sold as West Lake Longjing than that small protected area could produce. Longjing made elsewhere in Zhejiang is legitimate tea under a broader name, and is frequently very good; the price difference between it and the protected designation is very large. | The fruit-tree interplanting that traditional accounts credit for the tea’s fruitiness applies to a small original area near Lake Tai. Most Bi Luo Chun on the market is made to the same shape elsewhere. |
| Who may prefer it | Someone who wants presence without being dominated and wants to enjoy it on the first cup. It tolerates an imprecise brew. | Someone who wants presence without being dominated and has drunk enough tea to notice what changes between infusions. It rewards attention to leaf weight and timing. |
Nothing above is a recommendation. The last row describes the drinker each tea suits, using each tea’s own authored fields and the same sentence structure for both, so neither can be framed as the safe choice.