Lu'an Melon Seed (; pronounced ), also known as Lu'an Leaf, is a

green tea Green tea is a type of tea made from the leaves and buds of the '' Camellia sinensis'' that have not undergone the withering and oxidation process that creates oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China in the late 1st millenn ...

from Lu'an City,

Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...

Province,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. This is a famous green tea and is listed on virtually all lists of famous Chinese teas. The literal translation for Lu'an Guapian Tea is Lu'an Melon Seed Tea. Lu'an Melon Seed Tea's name is derived from the shape of the processed tea leaves, which are flat and oval and resemble a melon seed. Unlike most green teas which use the new buds in making tea, Lu'an Melon Seed Tea uses the second leaf on the branch. Each leaf's central vein is removed and the leaves are pan fried and shaped to stop oxidizing enzymes and dry the tea.Chinese-Tea-Culture.com, , www.chinese-tea-culture.com

History

According to historical texts, Lu'an Melon Seed Tea was first recorded in '' The Classic of Tea''.Liu’an Guapian
Spring Lin Chinese Tea. ''The Classic of Tea'' was the first book about general tea knowledge, and contained a brief introduction about tea categories and how to prepare tea. It was written by

Lu Yu Lu Yu (; 733–804) or Lu Ji (陆疾), courtesy name Jici (季疵) was a Chinese tea master and writer. He is respected as the Sage of Tea for his contribution to Chinese tea culture. He is best known for his monumental book ''The Classic of ...

(733–804 CE) during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

(618–907 CE). In contrast to the processing methods for other kinds of green tea such as Longjing, Lu'an Melon Seed Tea is a baked green tea which causes the taste of the tea to be different from other types of green tea in China. During the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

(1368–1644), Lu'an Melon Seed Tea was widely used to prevent sunstroke by the Chinese.Liu An Melon Seed tea, Guapian History
, Green Tea House. The Chinese Christian

Xu Guangqi Xu Guangqi or Hsü Kuang-ch'i (April 24, 1562– November 8, 1633), also known by his baptismal name Paul or Paul Siu, was a Chinese agronomist, astronomer, mathematician, scholar-bureaucrat, politician, and writer during the late Ming dynasty ...

(1562–1633), who was also a well-known scientist writing in his ''Agricultural Encyclopedia'' that "laminar tea from Lu'an Prefecture is a top-grade tea". Lu'an Melon Seed Tea was a type of ''gong cha'' ("tribute tea") to the imperial family during the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

(1644–1911). It was enjoyed by the

Guangxu Emperor The Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908), also known by his temple name Emperor Dezong of Qing, personal name Zaitian, was the tenth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China ...

(r. 1878–1908) and

Empress Dowager Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) was a Manchu noblewoman of the Yehe Nara clan who effectively but periodically controlled the Chinese government in the late Qing dynasty as empress dowager and regent for almost 50 ...

(r. 1861–1908). Lu'an Melon Seed Tea was also mentioned about 80 times by the writer Cao Xueqin (1715–1763) in his novel '' Dream of the Red Chamber''.

References

{{teas Green tea Chinese tea grown in Anhui Chinese teas

History

See also

References