Name: 2024 Handmade Wild-Farmed Lu’an Gua Pian (全手工野放六安瓜片)
Origin: Qiyun Mountain Bat Cave (齐云山蝙蝠洞), Anhui, China 
Season: Grain rain (谷雨), April 2024 
Cultivar: The original local cultivar, Lao Cong (群体老丛种)
 
This tea is from a wild-farmed tea garden, meaning no chemical fertilizers or pesticides were used at any point during the growing and processing of this tea throughout the year.
 
The name Lu'an 'gua pian' is so-called because of its unusual leaves, which are allowed to grow out into a broad shape resembling a 'gua zi', or sunflower seed, before they are picked. This process is unique in green teas, with Lu'an Gua Pian being the only green tea that contains no stalks, buds or shoots, comprised only of mature leaves.
 
There are three key steps used to prepare this rather special type of tea leaf:
 
1. A wok is heated to around 100℃, then fresh leaves are placed directly in and stir-fried for 1-2 minutes until softened.
 
2. Leaves are then transfered to a cooler second wok where they are stirred and patted down with a paddle, ensuring a flattened shape, while also serving to bruise the leaves slightly, giving the tea a richer final taste.
 
3. In the final step, leaves are placed in large free-standing baskets for a process known as 'hauling over the coals' (拉老火). The baskets of tea are placed over a roaring fire for a few seconds at a time, before being taken off the heat and tossed vigorously. This process is repeated hundreds of times before the tea is considered finished.
 
There are many different ways people enjoy brewing Lu'an Gua Pian. If you prefer a lighter flavour you can steep the leaves directly in a glass with water at around 80℃, using 2g for around 180ml. If you would like something a little stronger, you can increase the amount of leaves used and brew using a gaiwan with water straight off the boil. Using this method, its easy to see why some people describe Lu'an Gua Pian as the Rock tea of green teas.
 
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