Description: *
Gunpowder (Organic) Tea. Full-leaf Chinese green tea rolled into pellets, organic.

Legend has it that the name Gunpowder was given by an young English clerk who thought the tiny rolled green balls looked like gunpowder. The tea leaves are specially selected for quality, size and style. They are then rolled into tight nuggets. Gunpowder tea keeps a lot longer than other green teas and is favored because of this characteristic.

Gunpowder tea comes from the province of Zhejiang in China and from Taiwan. Generally the better gunpowders come from Taiwan. Interestingly Taiwan’s gunpowder quality improved after 1949. Another interesting point; before the 1900’s, gunpowder tea comprised about 60% of Americas total tea imports compared to today, when it is less than 1 percent.

When the tea is made the tiny pellets jingle and tinkle in the bowl or cup . Boiling water causes them to open up like flowers and sink slowly to the bottom in graceful patterns which add a dimension of visual pleasure to tea drinking. Gunpowder is more dense than other teas so one or two teaspoons for a teapot is all that is required.

Use 1/2 teaspoon per 6 oz cup. Heat water until steaming. Steep for 2-3 minutes.