Gunpowder tea (; pronounced ) is a form of tea in which each leaf has been individually rolled into a small pellet. Its English name comes either from some resemblance of the pellets to

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

, or from a phrase in Chinese that phonetically resembles the word "gunpowder". This rolling method of shaping tea is most often applied either to

green tea Green tea is a type of tea made from the leaves and buds of the '' Camellia sinensis'' that have not undergone the withering and oxidation process that creates oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China in the late 1st millenn ...

(the most commonly encountered variety outside China) or to

oolong Oolong or Wulong (, ; ; , "black dragon" tea) is a traditional semi-oxidized Chinese tea (''Camellia sinensis)'' produced through a process that includes withering the leaves under strong sun and allowing some Enzymatic oxidation, oxidation to ...

tea. Gunpowder tea production dates back to the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

(618–907). Leaves being processed into gunpowder tea are withered first, then steamed, rolled into pellet shape, and dried. Although the individual leaves were formerly rolled by hand, today all but the highest grades of gunpowder teas are rolled by machine. Rolling renders the leaves less susceptible to physical damage during packaging and storage, and allows them to retain more of their flavor and aroma. In addition, it allows certain types of oolong teas to be aged for decades if they are cared for by being occasionally roasted. The pellets are dried or "heat-fixed" by pan-firing, sometimes multiple times; this dry heating may contribute a slight smoky flavour. Heat-fixing is a typical part of green tea processing and stops oxidation. (Oxidation of green tea, which if allowed to continue would change it into oolong tea or black tea, has often been incorrectly called fermentation; fermentation is actually unique to pu'erh and "dark" teas). Japanese green tea processors typically stop oxidation by steaming instead of dry heating, and do not usually produce "gunpowder" style tea. Shiny pellets indicate that the tea is relatively fresh. Pellet size is also associated with quality, larger looser pellets being considered a mark of lower quality tea. High quality gunpowder tea will have small, tightly rolled pellets. The tea is graded alphanumerically, 3505AAA being considered the highest grade while 9375 is a relatively low grade.

Varieties

There are several varieties of gunpowder tea: *Pingshui gunpowder (): The original and most common variety of gunpowder tea with larger pearls, better color, and a more aromatic infusion, which is commonly sold as ''Temple of Heaven Gunpowder'' or ''Pinhead Gunpowder'', the former being a common brand of this tea variety. *Formosa gunpowder: A gunpowder style tea grown in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

near

Keelung Keelung ( ; zh, p=Jīlóng, c=基隆, poj=Ke-lâng), Chilung or Jilong ( ; ), officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city in northeastern Taiwan. The city is part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area with neighboring New Ta ...

, it is claimed to have its own characteristic aroma, different from that of

Zhejiang Province ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

gunpowder grown in mainland China. Formosa gunpowder teas are typically ''fresh'' or ''roasted'' oolongs. Several types of green tea leaves are commonly rolled into "gunpowder" form, including Chunmee,

Tieguanyin ''Tieguanyin'' (; Standard Chinese pronunciation ) is a variety of Chinese oolong tea that originated in the 19th century in Anxi in Fujian province. Tieguanyin produced in different areas of Anxi have different gastronomic characteristics. ...

, Huang Guanyin, and Dong Ding, as well as many other

and higher-end jasmine teas.

Etymology

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

, gunpowder tea is called ( 珠茶; literally 'pearl tea' or 'bead tea'; not to be confused with boba tea). The origin of the English term may come from the tea's similarity in appearance to actual gunpowder: grayish, dark pellets of irregular shape used as explosive

propellant A propellant (or propellent) is a mass that is expelled or expanded in such a way as to create a thrust or another motive force in accordance with Newton's third law of motion, and "propel" a vehicle, projectile, or fluid payload. In vehicle ...

for early guns. The name may also have arisen from the fact that the rolled pellet "explodes" into a long leaf upon being steeped in hot water. Another explanation is that the tea may have a smoky flavour. It is also possible that the English term may stem from the Mandarin Chinese phrase for 'freshly brewed', ( 剛泡的), which sounds similar to the English word ''gunpowder''.

Brewing methods

While brewing methods vary widely by the type of tea and individual preferences, of loose-leaf tea is recommended for every of water. Ideal water temperature for this type of tea is between and . For the first and second brewing, leaves should be steeped for around one minute. It is also recommended that the tea cup or tea pot used be rinsed with hot water prior to brewing the tea to warm the vessels. When brewed, gunpowder tea is a yellow color.

Use in the Maghreb

Gunpowder tea is exported to the

Maghreb The Maghreb (; ), also known as the Arab Maghreb () and Northwest Africa, is the western part of the Arab world. The region comprises western and central North Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Maghreb al ...

where it is used in the preparation of traditional North African mint tea. The Maghrebi tea ritual is at the heart of any social gathering, from an informal visit to a neighbor to lavish soirees with dignitaries. Mint tea is made by adding mint and sugar or honey to gunpowder tea while brewing.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunpowder Tea Green tea Chinese teas Chinese tea grown in Zhejiang