Gunpowder Green Tea
Green "Gunpowder" Tea made of twisted or rolled leaves...
Gunpowder Tea is is a strong tasting form of Green Tea produced in Zhejiang Province of China in which each leaf has been rolled into a small round pellet. It is believed to take its English name from the fact that the tea resembles gunpowder pellets used for cannon, and is also sometimes called “Pearl Tea”.
This rolling method of shaping tea is most often applied either to dried green tea (the most commonly encountered variety outside China) or occasionally to Oolong Tea.
Gunpowder Tea leaves are withered, steamed, rolled, and then dried. Although the individual leaves were formerly rolled by hand, today most gunpowder tea is rolled by machines (though the highest grades are still rolled by hand).
Rolling renders the leaves less susceptible to physical damage and breakage and allows them to retain more of their flavor and aroma. The tea will unfurl when brewed, releasing its slightly smoky flavor.
Brewing Guidelines for Gunpowder Tea
Brewing Temperature: 175°
Brewing Time: 1 minute
1.5 tsp per 8 oz cup
When buying gunpowder tea it is important to look for shiny pellets, which indicate that the tea is relatively fresh. Pellet size is also associated with quality, larger pellets being considered a mark of lower quality tea. High quality gunpowder tea will have small, tightly rolled pellets.
We have selected Kalyx™ Teas below, which offers strong tasting ’Gunpowder’ Green Tea made from the highest quality first-harvested tea from Starwest’s nitrogen-flushed double wall silverfoil pack (click below for more info).
Jasmine Pearls from Adagio Teas...try a sample (10 cups) for just $5