Melon Seed is one of the 10 most famous Chinese teas but strange enough, there is so few supply in southern China that Kam, or even tea ally, hasn't had a taste of it in his whole life! This is the "mysterious" tea that Kam wants to check out all along. So he did in 2007. It was not an easy trip but Melon Seed is well worth it.

Suggested brewing parameters - TEA:WATER (by weight) 1:160. No idea why but the best flavor only comes out when a water glass is used for brewing. Put tea in glasses, pour in 90C water, wait 3 mins for first brew, then pour tea into a small cup to drink. In the glasses, when tea is down to 2/3, add water, wait 1-2 mins (from 2nd brew on), then repeat the small cup procedure. Brewing procedures of other teas are pretty loose but not for Melon Seed. Kam has tried A LOT of combinations for Melon Seed. Only the above worked best. Kam tried a gaiwan - half of the flavor didn't come out.

General Info on Melon Seed

As unseen on TV, Melon Seed is a member of the 10 most famous Chinese teas. It is not ranked last but it is probably the last a veteran tea drink could recall, that is, if she can ever recall, out of the list.

Gua = melon, Pian = slice. Kam could have translated the tea as "Melon Slice" but Melon Seed has leaves that shape like melon seeds (which is a favorite snack of Chinese people). Maybe it's better to have a more visual name than just doing straight word-to-word translation.

Melon Seed has a refreshing aroma when it's dry, and a slightly roasted aroma when it's wet. After you finish a cup, you can smell a very high quality, condensed, tea fragrance at the bottom of the cup. This tea definitely belongs to the big league.