Gunpowder Green

Gunpowder is one of the most famous green teas in the world, and one of the great classics of China. The name comes from the look of the leaf: each one is rolled into a tight little pellet, said to resemble a grain of gunpowder, which then unfurls dramatically as it brews. The smaller and neater the pellets, the higher the grade; this is a fine one, known as "Pinhead" or "Temple of Heaven."

It is also a properly powerful green tea, which is rather the point of it. That strength comes from the making: like most Chinese greens the leaves are pan-fired, but for gunpowder the lid is kept on, trapping the moisture and intensifying everything, drawing out nutty, faintly marine and smoky notes and a darker, brassier cup than you usually get from a green. If you have found green teas a bit thin or timid, this is the one that answers back.

Because those pellets are so tightly packed, a little goes a very long way: half a teaspoon of these loose-leaf pellets per cup is plenty, and you will still get a robust brew. It is a green tea, so it wants cooler water, not boiling, or it will turn bitter; let the kettle drop to around 80°C and give it a short two minutes. The pellets are generous, too, so you can brew them more than once.

It is a proper tea, so there is caffeine in it, and it is best without milk. One lovely thing to try: gunpowder is the traditional base of Moroccan mint tea, so add a few fresh mint leaves and a little sugar, and you have the real thing, or let me do the work for you, in my Moroccan Mint Organic.

Brew at 80°C for 2 minutes, using just half a teaspoon per cup.

Ingredients || Green Tea

Warning, packed in an environment that contains nuts

Caffeine || Yes

Tasting Notes || Strong and bold for a green, with nutty, smoky and faintly marine notes

Brewing Notes || Just 0.5 tsp per cup, 80°C, 2 minutes (a little goes a long way)