What is gunpowder green tea?
Gunpowder tea is a Chinese green tea from the tea-producing region of Zhejiang Province. It can be traced back as far as around 700AD (the Tang Dynasty), but the 1800s saw its introduction into Taiwan. It is called “ zhū chá” in Chinese, which means “bead tea” or “pearl tea”, but the reason for English name by which it is recognized is the subject of much debate and many theories. It could possibly come from the Mandarin Chinese “gāng paò de” (“freshly brewed), which sounds like the English word “gunpowder”. Alternatively, some more creative types suggest that it has become known as gunpowder tea because of how the tightly rolled leaves form small pellets that “explode” into big leaves when they're steeped in water. Others think that it's because they produce an occasionally smoky-flavored beverage.
The most likely explanation for the name, of course, is simply that the tea looks very similar to gunpowder – the leaves are rolled extremely tightly (which helps the tea to remain fresh for longer than other green teas) into small, round pellets. This helps them to retain much more of their natural aroma and flavor, as well as making them much more resistant to breakage and other physical damage. It also makes them look remarkably like the small, flat gunpowder pellets used for guns and cannons!
Nowadays, most gunpowder tea is rolled into pellets by machines, but the highest grades (qualities) continue to be hand-rolled, just as all gunpowder tea leaves were originally. It is useful to know that the size of the pellets is a good indicator of the quality of the tea: small, tightly rolled ones will be of a higher quality than larger, looser ones. Also, compare how shiny the pellets are – the glossier the pellet, the fresher the tea.
There are several varieties of gunpowder tea, with quite a few different kinds of green tea commonly rolled into the popular gunpowder pellet form. Some of the teas used are Dong Ding, Huang Guanyin, Chunmee, and some of the higher-quality jasmine teas. The most common gunpowder tea variety that you're likely to find is Pingshui, which was the original gunpowder tea, and still the most common. You might see it marketed under the name of Temple of Heaven Gunpowder, which is probably the most popular and best known of all the gunpowder tea varieties. Temple of Heaven Gunpowder is noted for having a more aromatic infusion with a deeper color, and has a slightly smoky character with hints of sweetness. Other varieties include Ceylon Gunpowder (from Sri Lanka) and Formosa Gunpowder (from Taiwan).
When gunpowder tea pellets are steeped, they “explode” in the water, unfurling into longer leaves which then release the flavors, colors and aromas of the tea. Quite an economical choice of green tea, the pellets can be used several times without losing their flavor or goodness. The tea itself has a smoky flavor, and is quite thick and strong. As well as being a popular drink on its own in China, it is also exported to the Maghreb to be blended with mint and sugar or honey – a hugely popular and culturally important drink, often known as Tuareg.
Useful Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpowder_tea
http://theteaspot.com/gunpowder-green-tea.html
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