Premium Lu'an Guapian

Tea: Melon Seed Green (Lu'an Guapian - 六安瓜片)
Type: Anhui Green Tea
Harvest: Mid April 2026
Region: Lu'an, Anhui, China
Producers: Wang Family
Tasting Notes: Nettle, Kale, Cabbage, Daffodil 

This year we got something special from the Wang Family. Due to the general downturn in the green tea market, prices have dropped substantially. This means we were able to buy a grade of Guapian that was once 30% more expensive than the usual mid-season grade that we buy. Lighter in color and taste, this more tender pick has all the richness and power you can expect from Guapian, but with less bitterness and homeliness in shape.

Guapian is a type of green tea that has survived in roughly the same form since antiquity.  These wok-fried leaves are large, natural, and a little ugly.  Guapian has been one of China's top ten teas for hundreds of years, and the methodology behind this tea is very unique, featuring whisking the leaves with a hand-held straw broom in a wood-fired wok.  This processing creates the iconic wabi-wabi leaf shape iconic to the Guapian, or Melon Slices.

As this tea consists of larger leaves, there is very little 'mingqian' guapian made in Luan.  The tea is thick, rich, and delivers a powerful cup of tea without too much bitterness.  This is a great tea for those who want a little force in their green tea selection, and are not afraid of some big ugly leaves.

The brew starts off very vegetal, but gets sweeter and creamier as the session progresses, and even positively floral by the final infusions.

We recommend brewing this tea in a gaiwan (2.5 grams to 100ml water with flash infusions) or in a tall glass grandpa style (3 grams to 8 oz of water with a death steep).