Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Lu An Gua Pian is one of the Ten Great Chinese Teas. Literally translated, “Liu An Melon Seed Tea” due to the shape of its leaves, this green tea yields a light yellow colored cup with delicate vegetal notes.
After trying some of this tea unaltered, I decided that a bit of subtle sweetness would compliment this mildly toasty green tea best, and how could I resist making a watermelon melon seed tea?
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Nice! I like!
This Watermelon Lu An Gua Pian is one of 52Teas recently released “VIT” teas – which means “Very Important Tea.” The VIT teas are teas that are released in addition to the usual tea of the week. The VIT’s are usually very limited edition – when they’re gone, they’re GONE! And well, this one is gone … so I’m glad I grabbed one while they were available, because this is yummy!
The overall flavor is delicate. The “melon seed” green tea is mellow and sweet and nutty, and it melds beautifully with the subtle watermelon notes. The watermelon isn’t overdone here – and I’m finding myself glad about that as watermelon is generally … on the subtle side. I think a stronger watermelon taste would result in a candy-like flavor and while I don’t mind watermelon flavored candy … I don’t know that I’d necessarily describe it as an authentic kind of watermelon taste either … but it’s somewhere in between. Not quite so artificial that it’s candy-esque, and not so true to the fruit that I’d swear I was biting into a slice of watermelon. It’s somewhere in between and I’m happy with that.
I also love the flavor of the green tea – it’s pleasantly sweet and delicate! It is soft in taste and texture. There are very subtle savory notes that hit about mid-sip … no, not bitterness … more like a soft, roasted note that accentuates the nutty flavor. There is no bitterness whatsoever to this tea, and only the slightest hint of astringency. Those that tend to shy from astringent teas should not have a problem with astringency here, because it’s barely noticeable.
As part of an “experiment,” after taking my first few sips, I decided to see what would happen if I added just a teensy pinch of salt to the cup. I usually lightly sprinkle watermelon slices with salt (it brings out that yummy flavor!) and I was curious to see how this tea would respond to the salt addition… and you know what: it’s awesome! Just a teensy pinch – it doesn’t make the cup taste salty at all – but it does help punch up the flavor of both the tea and the watermelon just a bit.
Really delicious – a great summertime treat!
