# Lu'an Gua Pian (六安瓜片)

*Liù Ān Guā Piàn · Green · Wood*

**archetype:** Pumpkin seed in the grass

A pumpkin seed lying in the meadow grass: a forest freshness, a nutty depth, a dark-green strength.

## History

Lu'an Gua Pian — 'pumpkin seeds from Lu'an' — is the only famous Chinese green tea made from leaf alone, without buds or stems. From each shoot the second leaf is taken — the most mature and dense; the upper and lower skins are not needed, only the 'seed-leaf' with its strong body. It is dried on bamboo trays in three passes, the last one with a faint smoke from charcoal.

> In the Dabieshan mountains there lived a hermit-botanist who studied every herb. When he died, his grave was covered with pumpkin seeds — to mark that man and seed alike lie down into the earth. From those seeds rose bushes with an especially strong leaf. Ever since, the tea is made only from the second leaf — the most mature, like a mature person.

## Terroir

300–800 m. clayey shale with forest organic matter. warm summer, dense mists, cool autumn. The best leaf comes from the villages Qizihu and Qili; the 'imperial' Gua Pian is made only from the second leaf of the upper shoot.

## Leaf

- **dry leaf:** flat dense dark-green leaves without buds or stems, shaped like pumpkin seeds
- **warmed:** the warmed leaf — steamed greenery, nut, prune, a light chestnut
- **after pour:** after the infusion — chestnut, dark green, prune, a forest depth
- **taste:** steamed greenery, nut, prune, a light chestnut
- **finish:** long, dark green, with a nutty trail

## Properties

- **TCM:** cool, yin; clears heat, supports stomach and spleen, nourishes the blood
- **Modern:** high polyphenol concentration thanks to the mature leaf; good after rich food, supports metabolism
- **Cha qi:** dense, descending; felt as 'settling' in the lower chest
- **Caffeine:** moderate (30–45 mg)

## Brewing ritual

a 150 ml gaiwan; 82 °C; 4 g / 150 ml. 15s — the first opening: steamed greenery, nut; 20s — the peak: chestnut, prune, dark green; 30s — a long echo of forest freshness; 50s — the finale — a thin nutty trail.

## When to drink

day and early evening. summer and early autumn. when you want earth, a forest depth, for long work. chestnut, dried fruit, steamed vegetables, white fish, dark honey. solitude in the forest, or work in silence

## Tea meditation

1. A seed is a beginning.
2. Each sip is a promise of growth.
3. Don't swallow at once. Let it sprout in your mouth.

## Questions and answers

### How do you brew Lu'an Gua Pian?

a 150 ml gaiwan; 82 °C; 4 g / 150 ml. 15s — the first opening: steamed greenery, nut; 20s — the peak: chestnut, prune, dark green; 30s — a long echo of forest freshness; 50s — the finale — a thin nutty trail.

### What does Lu'an Gua Pian taste like?

steamed greenery, nut, prune, a light chestnut

### How much caffeine is in Lu'an Gua Pian?

moderate (30–45 mg)

### What are the effects of Lu'an Gua Pian?

high polyphenol concentration thanks to the mature leaf; good after rich food, supports metabolism

## Related teas

- [Long Jing](https://www.dao-cha.info/en/tea/long-jing)
- [Huangshan Mao Feng](https://www.dao-cha.info/en/tea/huang-shan-mao-feng)
- [Tai Ping Hou Kui](https://www.dao-cha.info/en/tea/tai-ping-hou-kui)
- [Green](https://www.dao-cha.info/en/class/green)