Note: Melon Seed 2009 is not as impressive as it should be. Thus there is no Melon Seed 2009 from this year's tea hunt. We will continue to sell Melon Seed 2008 while stock lasts.

Melon Seed is one of the 10 most famous Chinese teas. Kam first got to it's place of origin in 2007. And was enchanted by Melon Seed's indulging aroma. It has THE best aroma when you smell the bottom of a cup after tea is being drunk. Kam has his eyes roll back into the brain every time he smell the cup, no kidding. Of course, you have to brew the tea right to get the aroma.

Suggested brewing parameters - TEA:WATER (by weight) 2:160. Use glass for brewing. 80-90C water. Use a little bit of water for wetting and washing the tea first. Then add water and brew for 3 mins.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. Lasts about 4-5 infusions. If you use a gaiwan, use 2g of tea in a 4oz gaiwan. Brew for 25 sec.

Special thanks for tea friend Dong who did his tea hunt 2008 for Kam on his way back from the Beijing Olympics.

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.