Cookscorner.net

I've had melon seed many times, and love it. One thing you've got to bear in mind about greens - they produce a very subtle and delicate brew. They should be sipped and savored for their subtle characteristics. I use a small, handle-less cup rather than a mug - a mug doesn't seem right for greens. Don't look for over-the-top flavors in green teas - again, it is very subtle, and needs to be brewed properly, with non-boiling water and for short periods of time - one or two minutes. Once you learn how to brew and enjoy it, it will provide you with endless variety and enjoyment.

As you probably know, Lu´an guapian appears frequently on the so called "TOP 10" of Chinese teas. To my pleasant surprise I managed to found some in "Chajnyj domik" in St.-Petersburg last spring. The leaves looked deep green and were quite large as they are supposed to be in case of this particular tea. The aroma of the infusion rising from the cup was wonderfully fresh and exciting but the actual taste quite didn´t match my expectations and I guess I never quite managed to find the perfect combination of the amount of tea and time of infusion. Lu´an guapian was fairly expensive (as one may expect from such a tea with a well reputation) but not awfully expensive. I certainly recommend to try it but on my list of personal favourites it stays behind eg. such Top 10-teas as Biluochun and Xianyang maojian.

Yugen