Tasting: Liu An Pian Green Tea
Liu An Pian which translates to “Melon Seed” tea, hails from the Anhui province of China. The tea gets its name from shaped of the on the finished product which as you may have already guessed, resembled melon seeds. Unlike other green teas in China which use new buds, this tea is made only from the second leaf of the tea plant.
The dry leaf starts out with a very vibrant and aromatic fresh green aroma. I can detect nice floral notes, steamed greens, a slight touch of grass and a buttery finish, and odd but lovely sweet, slightly spicy note in the background. The sweet note was stronger on the wet leaf and came through much more like vanilla bean, with notes of seaweed and an all-around umami scent.
The soup is quite sweet and extremely light in flavor and mouthfeel. The sweetness is close to the sweetness of honey dew with light vegetal notes and a very subtly vanilla finish. I found the tea did not leave much of an aftertaste, but did have a lingering sweet feel on the tongue.
I found this tea a bit too light in flavor especially for a green tea. Chinese green teas do tend to be lighter in flavor, but the strong aromatics that fails to come through in the brew was quite disappointing. However, if you are the type who is not a fan of the grassy or vegetal flavors of green tea, and simply want a light brew with good health benefits then this one is just what you may need. 2 out of 5 stars.
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