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"Melon Seeds" Lu An Gua Pian Green Tea

$36.00

DUE TO HIGH DEMAND, THIS TEA IS SOLD OUT

A young monk once asked the wise tea master Lao Cha:

Shifu, the whole night, you were restless, turning from one side to another, from one to another. What were you dreaming about?

– Tonight, in my dream, I came up with a new tea called “Lu An Gua Pian” – Mellon Seed Green Tea. This tea will be green and fresh yet sweet and a bit smoky. Making this tea will require lots of work – it has to be roasted for only a few seconds, but over sixty times. That’s why I was so restless at night, making this tea. But trust me – it’s worth it. This tea will become one of China’s most famous!

 

One of China's top ten teas, Lu An Gua Pian Green Tea, is unique. What differentiates it from most other green teas is the sweet taste overlaid with an almost smoky, spicy tang. It has the green teas' signature vegetal taste, but the grassiness is not overbearing.

Lu An Gua Pian is not an early spring tea. Instead of plucking the earliest spring buds, Gua Pian makers wait until the buds mature and unfold. Only then will they get individually picked. They use only the pure leaf for this tea — no stems, no buds.

Once the tea leaves are withered a bit and become pliable, they are fired in woks to stop the oxidation. During the final step — the fire drying, the leaves get roasted directly over a wood fire. The use of an open fire is a uniquely vigorous step. It is physically demanding for the tea makers, who must move the tea leaves over the fire for only seconds at a time. Once the tea roasts for a few seconds, it is briefly lifted off to cool. Then the process is repeated. Altogether, this on-and-off drying requires about sixty repetitions.

All of these factors and techniques put together result in this seriously complex green tea. Some say that Lu An Gua Pian was originally designed for the political elite of China, though this tea is rather a rebel among green teas. Some of the avid lovers of Lu An Gua Pian include empress Cixi and Zhou Enlai. When Henry Kissinger visited China for the first time, it was precisely Lu An Gua Pian, that he got as a national tea gift from his Chinese hosts. This craft tea is worthy of the precious historical and cultural heritage of the skilled tea makers of Lu'an.

Lu An Gua Pian first appeared during the Qing dynasty. A legend tells a story about a local tea master in Lu'An. He picked the tender leaves from the green tea he purchased, removed the stems, and started selling it as a new product. It was a huge success. Information spread like wildfire, and so did the orders for the new tea. So, the owner hired more tea workers and started producing the same tea according to the new method. He named it "Fengzhi" (meaning peak wings). His success inspired other tea shops to remove the stems and buds from the fresh leaves. Soon, the new tea has taken over the entire region. Ever since it has retained the characteristic shape of a sunflower seed. Another typical feature is its strong flavored profile, unusual for green tea.

 

  • Place of Origin: Qiyun Mountain, Lu An, Anhui Province, China
  • Altitude: 500m
  • Harvest Date: May 2021
  • Picking Standard:  no buds, only leaves
  • Aroma: Refreshing and brisk
  • Taste:  Distinctive sweet taste overlaid with an almost smoky, spicy tang.  Mellow and long-lasting sweet finish.
  • Varietal: Lu An small-leaf

 

Brewing guidelines:

        175℉ / 80℃ 

1g per 60ml   3-5min

     1g per 25ml   5sec + 5sec for each subsequent infusion

Customer Reviews

Based on 12 reviews
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(10)
17%
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B
Benjamin
Calming

It’s a tea that almost gets you a drink I used to be an alcoholic so this tea helps me calm down. It helps me with my autism and it helps me relax and study and meditate as well. I recommend this tea to people who want a calming experience and can handle a bit of a bitter taste it hits kind of like alcohol but it has a refreshing beautiful taste and effect that will have you desiring more at the end of the day.

By the way misha I appreciate the note I hope all is well and you can email me if you want if your looking to be friends! All love to you guys who are working hard and doing what you can to get the tea out/ making the tea and doing everything you can on this site! Have a great day you guys :)

Hi Benjamin. We are so happy to know that you like our teas, but what's even more important is that it helps you! Drink tea, not alcohol!:)
And thank you for your kind words!

D
David Michael White
A Familiar Taste

Overall, this tea reminds me of Lu Shan Wun Yu with it's buttery as well as vegetal taste and aroma. It is a good green tea but so far, my favorite green tea is the Jasmine Dragon Pearls. 😊

A
Abbie San
good taste

•aroma from the opened package was more excited than taste
•very green, very vegetal
•sweet
•a little butter taste

M
Mae Pera.
Green and sweet

I used a smaller, 250ml teapot to brew this tea and a tad more leaf than recommended, while following the "gaiwan" brew times.
The result was everything I hoped for and more. Nice, crisp, vegetal green tea with a sweetness that last through multiple brews and a smokiness that reminded me more of caramelizing roasted sweet potatoes. Mmm... wanting to brew up some more just writing about it,

C
Chianne
Best

I ordered Path of Cha's green tea discovery collection and this one was my favorite green tea of all the ones I tried. I am a sweet tooth and this tea has a very long-lasting sweet finish that coats your soul in a sweet sugary balm😊 Really unlike any other green tea I've had. This in combination with the slight roasted nuts aroma and I have my winner!