Lu'an Melon Seed tea facts for kids
Lu'an Melon Seed is a special type of green tea from China. It comes from Lu'an City in the Anhui Province. This tea is so famous that it's almost always on lists of China's best teas! People also call it Lu'an Leaf.
The name "Lu'an Melon Seed" comes from how the tea leaves look after they are processed. They are flat and oval, just like a melon seed! What makes this tea unique is that it doesn't use the tiny new tea buds. Instead, it uses the second leaf on the branch. Workers carefully remove the middle vein from each leaf. Then, the leaves are cooked in a pan and shaped. This process stops the leaves from changing color and helps dry the tea, giving it its special taste.
History of Lu'an Melon Seed Tea
Early Mentions of Lu'an Tea
Lu'an Melon Seed Tea has a long and interesting history. The first time it was written about was in a very old book called The Classic of Tea. This book was the first of its kind, sharing general knowledge about tea. It talked about different types of tea and how to prepare them.
A famous writer named Lu Yu wrote The Classic of Tea. He lived during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE). Unlike many other green teas, Lu'an Melon Seed Tea is baked. This baking method gives it a unique flavor that sets it apart from other Chinese green teas.
Lu'an Tea in Later Dynasties
During the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), people in China widely used Lu'an Melon Seed Tea. They believed it helped prevent sunstroke, which is when you get too hot in the sun. A Chinese scientist named Xu Guangqi wrote about it in his Agricultural Encyclopedia. He said that "laminar tea from Lu'an Prefecture is a top-grade tea," meaning it was a very high-quality tea.
Later, during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), Lu'an Melon Seed Tea became a "tribute tea." This meant it was a special gift sent to the emperor and his family. Both the Guangxu Emperor (who ruled from 1878 to 1908) and Empress Dowager Cixi (who was a powerful ruler from 1861 to 1908) enjoyed this tea. The famous writer Cao Xueqin also mentioned Lu'an Melon Seed Tea many times in his well-known novel, Dream of the Red Chamber.
