Tea Cultivar · Camellia sinensis var. sinensis
Long Jing #43
- Origin
- China - Zhejiang (CAAS Tea Research Institute, Hangzhou)
- Registered
- 1987 (national)
- Primary use
- green tea, longjing
Overview
Long Jing #43 is a clonal cultivar bred specifically for Long Jing (Dragon Well) production by the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Hangzhou. Selected from heirloom Long Jing populations in the 1960s and released for commercial planting in the 1970s, it was approved as a national-grade cultivar in 1987 and now accounts for the majority of Long Jing acreage in Zhejiang and beyond.
Characteristics
A small-leafed sinensis with a compact, upright habit and notably uniform leaf size - a trait deliberately bred to support the precise hand-pressing required for Long Jing's flat, sword-shaped leaf style. It buds 7 to 10 days earlier than the heirloom Qun Ti Zhong populations, which gives producers a critical pre-Qingming market window. Cold tolerance is moderate; disease resistance is good.
Flavor profile
Long Jing #43 yields a bright, clean cup with the classic Long Jing combination of toasted chestnut, sweet pea, and orchid, but with somewhat more pronounced bean-and-nut character and less of the wild floral complexity of heirloom Qun Ti. The liquor is pale yellow-green, the finish sweet and lingering. It is the standard expression of modern Long Jing.
History
The Tea Research Institute in Hangzhou began systematic selection within the heirloom Long Jing population (Qun Ti Zhong) in the late 1950s, identifying superior individual plants and propagating them clonally. The 43rd selection in that program - designated Long Jing #43 - combined early budding, uniform morphology, and faithful retention of the traditional Long Jing flavor profile. Released for trial planting in 1968 and broadly commercialized through the 1970s, it received national-grade cultivar status in 1987.
Where it grows
Zhejiang (Hangzhou - Xihu, Shifeng, Meijiawu)