Origin:  Xi Tou Mountain, Liu An City, Anhui, China
Tea Master:  Wang Fang Sheng
Flavor:  fresh, green, mineral

Sometimes called "melon seed" (see note below), this tea is unique in many ways from plucking to firing to shaping.  It yields a cup that is rather strong with a thick, rich feel.

Tea pickers pick only leaf (no bud) with a small amount of sprig (stem).  One by one, processors remove the stem by hand.  Instead of charcoal, the tea processors use a very hot fire to make their Gua Pian.  Tea masters have special small brooms made out of local reeds to brush the leaves into the unique rolled shape. They use very large bamboo drums with a handle on either side. Two masters will stand on either side and place the tea over the fire for less than one second, then remove it. They will repeat this process over sixty times, making this a very unusual and time-consuming tea to make.

A quick note on the name:  The name of this tea was originally "gua zi pian" which means "sunflower seed" but was later shortened to just "gua pian" or "melon seed".  The hollow leaves were thought to resemble empty sunflower seed husks, the leftovers of a popular Chinese tea house snack.

The garden that produces this tea doesn't use any pesticides or herbicides but it isn't certified organic.