Longjing Tea Buying Checklist: Brands, Grades and Labels

A Longjing tea buying checklist starts with six details: producer, origin, harvest, grade, quantity and storage. The producer, declared origin, harvest information, grade and pack size tell you more than a familiar name alone. A useful shortlist starts with those details, then narrows to the flavor and format you enjoy.

Longjing, also called Dragonwell, is a Chinese green tea. West Lake Longjing refers to tea from its defined origin area around Hangzhou. A brand name and an origin claim answer different questions: who markets the tea, and where the tea comes from.

Start with a fair comparison

Put two product descriptions next to each other. Are both teas described as West Lake Longjing? Do they declare the same harvest year and a comparable picking period? Are you comparing a plain pouch with a presentation box? Without matching the basics, a price difference has little meaning.

Six Longjing tea brand names to recognize

The following names are useful starting points for research. The order is for reference, rather than a quality ranking. These notes identify the businesses and explain what to check; they are not tasting scores or endorsements of every product a brand sells.

Gong Pai — 贡牌

Gong Pai is associated with Hangzhou Xihu Longjing Tea Co., Ltd. Its official site presents the company, tea-making heritage and product collections. Compare the origin and grading details of the exact package you are considering. Read our Gong Pai company and brand profile for background.

Xihu brand — 西湖牌

Hangzhou Tea Factory Co., Ltd. presents Xihu brand tea on its official website. Its catalog uses both Longjing and West Lake Longjing wording on different packages. The characters 西湖 in a brand name should therefore be read separately from the origin declaration on an individual tea.

Lu Zhenghao — 卢正浩

The brand’s official website identifies Hangzhou Zhenghao Tea Co., Ltd. and presents several product collections. Compare the collection and product label together. A brand’s connection with Hangzhou does not make the origin, harvest or grade identical across all of its products.

Shifeng brand — 狮峰牌

Zhejiang Tea Group lists Shifeng in its brand portfolio. For English-language buyers, the name needs particular care: “Shifeng” can also refer to the Lion’s Peak place name in discussions of tea origin. Seeing the brand name alone does not establish that a particular packet comes from that specific locality.

Longguan — 龙冠

Longguan’s company profile identifies Hangzhou Longguan Industrial Co., Ltd. and describes product lines including Yu Lian Xin, Jin Wan Ding and Mu Wan Ding. Collection names help you find a product, but the actual label and specification remain the basis for comparing origin, quantity and harvest information.

Shi brand — 狮牌

A 2020 enterprise profile published by the West Lake Longjing Tea Management Association links Shi brand with Hangzhou Shifeng Tea Co., Ltd. This is a different name from the Shifeng brand listed by Zhejiang Tea Group. Match the Chinese brand and full producer name rather than treating every “lion” translation as the same business.

Similar names are an easy source of confusion

Keep three items separate: the registered or displayed brand, the legal producer, and the named growing area. Shifeng as a brand, Hangzhou Shifeng as part of a company name, and Shifeng as a place are not interchangeable.

If a listing uses a shortened name such as “Xihu Shi,” ask for a clear photograph of the brand and producer panel. Translate what the label actually says; do not infer the business or a precise growing site from an English nickname.

Mingqian, first flush and AAA are different kinds of information

Mingqian, often written pre-Qingming in English, describes a picking period before the Qingming festival. It does not by itself specify the growing area or guarantee a particular flavor. “First flush” likewise needs a producer’s explanation of what was picked and when.

Letters such as A, AA and AAA may belong to a brand’s own product hierarchy. Check the stated grade and explanation instead of assuming that one company’s AAA must equal another company’s AAA. A named harvest window, an internal product tier and an origin claim can all appear on the same package while describing different things.

Choose the format for the person drinking it

For everyday drinking, a smaller sealed pack can be a sensible first purchase while you discover your preferred flavor. Compare the tea itself before paying for an elaborate box. Once you know what you like, a larger pack may be practical if you can store it as directed and use it while fresh.

For a gift, choose clear labeling and a pack size the recipient can comfortably finish. Individually sealed portions may be convenient. Check the weight of the tea rather than judging value by the outer box’s dimensions.

For an overseas order, ask the seller about shipping time, storage instructions and any destination restrictions before ordering. A domestic promotional price is not a dependable estimate of an international order’s final cost.

Check the label through the current official service

The West Lake Longjing Tea Management Association publishes public resources and a verification entrance. Follow the current instructions for the code on your actual package. Membership, annual authorization records and a product-code inquiry are different checks.

Avoid relying on an old screenshot that states a single permitted label size or promises that every inquiry screen must look identical. Formats and instructions should be checked against the current official service. Our Longjing origin-label guide explains the package checks in more detail.

Questions worth asking before you buy

• What is the exact producer name, and which origin is declared for this tea?
• Which harvest year and picking period apply to the packet being shipped?
• What does its grade or letter tier mean within this brand?
• How much tea is inside, and how is it sealed?
• What storage and after-sales information comes with the order?

Keep exploring in our Longjing tea guide collection.

Sources and editorial note

Brand identification was checked against Gong Pai, Hangzhou Tea Factory, Lu Zhenghao, Zhejiang Tea Group’s brand portfolio, Longguan’s company profile and the association’s 2020 Hangzhou Shifeng enterprise profile. Reviewed October 24, 2026. This is an independently written comparison guide; no comparative tasting was performed for this article. Sandao sells tea, including Gong Pai products.