gunpowder
i've never bought a gunpowder tea before. My brother had some from teavana once, and i tried it and thought it was pretty good, but im not a big fan of teavana and im sure there are better gunpowders out there, so i was wondering what those of you who enjoy gunpowder would suggest to me. Thanks
Feb 8th, '08, 20:21
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Re: gunpowder
In this case, I must remain silent...Dr. Eel wrote: so i was wondering what those of you who enjoy gunpowder would suggest to me. Thanks
I see you are venturing in to the world of Japanese teas...
blah blah blah SENCHA blah blah blah!!!
Feb 8th, '08, 21:37
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I have some serious doubts whether Gunpowder actually means very much. I don't think that it corresponds to any of the hundreds of tea types the Chinese mention when they catalogue their own teas. Somewhere I once read someone say that Gunpowder is what they sweep off the floor after making tea, the stuff only the big-eyed white devils will actually pay for. I suspect this statement is not entirely true, but I do have a niggling suspicion that there is a nugget of truth.
The name seems more specific to English history than Chinese reality. Still someone over there is producing it, and after all virtually all the great Chinese black teas were invented to meet European demand for tea characteristics (especially storage and long shipping times).
So, I suspect Gunpowder as a name means very little. There are probably some fine teas called Gunpowder, but there certainly is a lot of trash. I think that a consumer will have more consistent and satisfying results by looking for teas identified in the Chinese canon, like Long Jing, Bi Luo Chun, Hou Kui, or Zhu Ye Qing. The Chinese names are a pain because they are so hard to pronouce, spell, remember, etc., but the consumer is far more likely to encounter the products of a huckster or ignorant vendor when seaching for the easy English name Gunpowder.
That having been said, the caveat for my honored readers is that I may be entirely wrong (yet again!) If so, please someone correct me.
The name seems more specific to English history than Chinese reality. Still someone over there is producing it, and after all virtually all the great Chinese black teas were invented to meet European demand for tea characteristics (especially storage and long shipping times).
So, I suspect Gunpowder as a name means very little. There are probably some fine teas called Gunpowder, but there certainly is a lot of trash. I think that a consumer will have more consistent and satisfying results by looking for teas identified in the Chinese canon, like Long Jing, Bi Luo Chun, Hou Kui, or Zhu Ye Qing. The Chinese names are a pain because they are so hard to pronouce, spell, remember, etc., but the consumer is far more likely to encounter the products of a huckster or ignorant vendor when seaching for the easy English name Gunpowder.
That having been said, the caveat for my honored readers is that I may be entirely wrong (yet again!) If so, please someone correct me.
Feb 9th, '08, 18:49
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As always, drink what you like and like what you drink.
Gunpowder does elicit a wide range of responses and not always favorable!!!
Gunpowder was one of my first exposures to green tea, and I remember struggling to get it to work. Sometimes it did, and sometimes it did not. For me, I found much more enjoyable greens and have not looked back.
Gunpowder does elicit a wide range of responses and not always favorable!!!
Gunpowder was one of my first exposures to green tea, and I remember struggling to get it to work. Sometimes it did, and sometimes it did not. For me, I found much more enjoyable greens and have not looked back.
I think about 85% of the gunpowder out there is just filthy. Because of this, most people have had bad experiences with gunpowder. Luckily, I've found two good ones. The one at Savouré is the best, and claimed to be organic. The other one came from either Imperial Tea Court (one of two different kinds), or the formosa gunpowder from Paper Street. I advise to try out the one from Savouré.
End transmission.
End transmission.
My experience with gunpowder is mostly limited to Moroccan Mint. I have tried it once on it's own and am not all that fond of it (not too fond of greens anyway). My father loves his gunpowder, though. I think it is the tea that gives him the biggest caffeine kick. Probably because of the tightly rolled leaves being so small and using a lot of them.
Teas for trade:
Gunpowder is a kind of "gateway green"
I still enjoy to drink it iced in the summer.
I can add my own mint or ginger to change it up.
Can anyone recommend another cheap green for this purpose.
I still enjoy to drink it iced in the summer.
I can add my own mint or ginger to change it up.
Can anyone recommend another cheap green for this purpose.
“Take some more tea,” the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
“I’ve had nothing yet,” Alice replied in an offended tone: “so I ca’n’t take more.”
“You mean you ca’n’t take less,” said the Hatter: “it’s very easy to take more than nothing.”
“I’ve had nothing yet,” Alice replied in an offended tone: “so I ca’n’t take more.”
“You mean you ca’n’t take less,” said the Hatter: “it’s very easy to take more than nothing.”
Feb 28th, '09, 13:43
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Gunpowder is called "pearl tea" in China. I guess there are some Chinese people drinking gunpowder too, but very few, and so far I haven't met one 
Gunpowder has a long history (about 200 years), but mostly as an inexpensive and easily-transported tea for export trades. "Temple of Heaven" brand gunpowder once won golden medal in some food conference in Spain. I guess it's very compatible to diet of Arabic-Mediterranean region. Commercial gunpowder like the "temple of heaven" brand commonly has Arabic on the package, I guess, because Arabic regions are major export destinations.
If you like gunpowder, don't bother to pay high price in a boutique or chain store. It's probably the least expensive tea in a boutique store, but still a lot more expensive than supermarket. It's very inexpensive in Asian supermarket (<$10 for a whole pound, which lasts forever). I mean this one (which is a good brand of gunpowder):
I've tried a few gunpowders from different sources, and to me they are all the same. So the least expensive source will be just fine.
By the way the jasmine green tea made with gunpowder (which is called "fragrance pearl") is pretty good and share the same feature of long shelf life as gunpowder. It's not as elegant as some other more expensive jasmine green, but more acceptable to many people than plain gunpowder.
Gunpowder has a long history (about 200 years), but mostly as an inexpensive and easily-transported tea for export trades. "Temple of Heaven" brand gunpowder once won golden medal in some food conference in Spain. I guess it's very compatible to diet of Arabic-Mediterranean region. Commercial gunpowder like the "temple of heaven" brand commonly has Arabic on the package, I guess, because Arabic regions are major export destinations.
If you like gunpowder, don't bother to pay high price in a boutique or chain store. It's probably the least expensive tea in a boutique store, but still a lot more expensive than supermarket. It's very inexpensive in Asian supermarket (<$10 for a whole pound, which lasts forever). I mean this one (which is a good brand of gunpowder):
I've tried a few gunpowders from different sources, and to me they are all the same. So the least expensive source will be just fine.
By the way the jasmine green tea made with gunpowder (which is called "fragrance pearl") is pretty good and share the same feature of long shelf life as gunpowder. It's not as elegant as some other more expensive jasmine green, but more acceptable to many people than plain gunpowder.
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Feb 28th, '09, 18:33
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I've been drinking Temple of Heaven Special Gunpowder for many yeas now. I think that is a very good Gunpowder tea, absolutely worth trying if you haven't yet . Gunpowder was the first green tea that I really liked, although it's not a tea for everyone. I'm not a smoker, but from my experience smokers tend to like it because of its resemblance to cigarettes