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Lu An Melon Seed

Wikipedia: Lu'an_Melon_Seed_Tea 
Last Updated: Aug. 30, 2013 

About Lu An Melon Seed

Loose-leaf green tea with straight, somewhat rolled leaves, vibrant green in colorCloseup of the dry leaf of Lu An Gua Pian. Photo by Alex Zorach.
Lu An melon seed, often written Liu An Gua Pian and sometimes with an apostrophe Lu'An melon seed, and sometimes just Guapian tea, is a well-known style of green tea from Anhui, China. The name "melon seed" references the way the leaves have an oval shape resembling melon seeds, after they unfurl during brewing. The dry leaf, on the other hand, has a rolled, cylindrical shape.

This tea tends to have a bold, strong flavor, especially relative to other green teas in its price range.

This style of tea is unusual, especially among more desireable varieties of tea, in that it uses the second leaf on the branch and does not include any tips, buds, or higher leaves. The central vein of the leaf is removed, and the leaves are then pan-fired over low heat and shaped into their final form.[1]

Large green tea leaves steeping in a glass pitcher, on a wooden grateUnfurled leaves upon steeping. Photo © PanShiBo (Wikimedia Commons), CC BY-SA 3.0.
Although most sources classify Lu An melon seed as a green tea, Silk Road Teas refers to it as a yellow tea, due to the fact that it is subjected to an extra steaming phase in its processing.[2] We do not classify it in this manner, as the teas we classify in that way involve a slight oxidation, with the leaves sitting while damp, rather than additional heating.

Evan Draper points out the tea could be more aptly translated Lu An Melon Flake. His post on this tea goes into more depth about its production and origins, translating a key Chinese text.[3]

References:


1. Liu An Gua Pian Tea (Liu An Melon Seed Tea) Chinese Tea Culture, www.chinese-tea-culture.com, Retrieved Nov. 3, 2009.


2. Little Melon Seed (Lu An Gua Pian), Silk Road Teas, Retrieved Mar. 6, 2012.


3. Draper, Evan, 中国茶经: 六安瓜片 Lù’ān Guāpiàn, PluckTea, Aug. 27, 2013.


Recent Lu An Melon Seed Reviews — RSS rss icon

83 / 100
Picture of Anhui Emerald Seed

Anhui Emerald Seed from Adagio Teas

Style: Lu An Melon Seed – Region: Anhui, China
Feb. 20th, 2015

The aroma of the leaves is a delicate blend of green beans and sesame seeds with a touch of spicebush flowers and hyacinth. There is also a tiny hint of chestnut at the finish, the aroma notes are not the strongest, but they are pleasant in their delicateness.

The taste is refreshing, it starts with a blend of melo...

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97 / 100
Picture of Liu An Gua Pian Green Tea

The aroma is quite vegetal and also quite nutty, with note of green beans, spinach, chestnut, sweet sesame seed paste (Halva for those who enjoy Middle Eastern desserts) and a very delicate finish of toast. It manages to be sweet and vegetal without the clashing, in fact sniffing this tea makes me a bit hungry.

The ...

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90 / 100
Picture of Liu An Gua Pian Green Tea

Truly a fantastic green tea, much better than any other liu an gua pian that I have tried. The dry leaves have a beautiful aroma and unfurl gently to release their emerald brew. Sweet, rich and releasing different flavors with each steeping.

I used a small glass gaiwan to brew so I could watch the leaves, and did a ...

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77 / 100
Picture of Liu An Gua Pian Green Tea

Now this was more my type of green tea! While not my favorite, I thought it was much better than the last Teavivre green I had, Nonpareil Te Gong Huang Shan Mao Feng.

Brewing a light green color, this tea was smooth and subtly flavored. I thought it tasted great both as a hot and cold tea.

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91 / 100
Picture of Liu An Gua Pian Green Tea

I'm starting to think I really like this type of green tea. The first sample of it, from Upton, I liked very much, and this one I like even better.

The dry leaf has a strong and very pleasant aroma, one I'd describe as earthy and herbaceous, and suggestive of sweetness.

This has a richer and bolder flavor than m...

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Read More Reviews of Lu An Melon Seed (7) ...

Top Reviewers

RankUser#%
1Reviewer icon Alex Zorach222
2Reviewer icon Amanda 222
3Reviewer icon Sir William of the Leaf111
4Reviewer icon E. Alex Gerster111
5Reviewer icon Kelsey111

Review 2 teas to get on this list!

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Most-Rated Lu An Melon Seed

No image of this tea

Liu An Gua Pian Green Tea

Brand:TeaVivre
Style:Lu An Melon Seed
Region:Xiuning, Anhui, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
95
4 Ratings
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2010 Spring Handmade Premium Liu An Gua Pian

Brand:JK Tea Shop
Style:Lu An Melon Seed
Region:Anhui, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
1 Rating
Picture of Anhui Emerald Seed

Anhui Emerald Seed

Brand:Adagio Teas
Style:Lu An Melon Seed
Region:Anhui, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
1 Rating
Picture of Organic Green Lu'An Melon Seed

Organic Green Lu'An Melon Seed

Brand:Upton Tea Imports
Style:Lu An Melon Seed
Region:Anhui, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
1 Rating

Top-Rated Lu An Melon Seed

No image of this tea

Liu An Gua Pian Green Tea

Brand:TeaVivre
Style:Lu An Melon Seed
Region:Xiuning, Anhui, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
95
4 Ratings

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