Gunpowder Tea

Dragon Well, also known as Lung Ching, Sencha and Macha, are all true green teas, while Jasmine and Genmaicha are still green teas, but they have been blended with other ingredients such as jasmine and toasted brown rice, respectively, to give them both a unique flavor. But there is also another green tea that holds a rather dubious name and that tea is called Gunpowder Tea.

According to Wiskgeek.com, the Tang Dynasty, which ran from 618 to 907 CE, (7^th Century CE) developed a new way to produce and preserve tea. Tea farmers hand rolled leaves to form pearls and the tea was aptly named Pearl Tea. When the early European explorers saw the tea, they remarked on how much it looked like gunpowder. From that discovery, Gunpowder Tea earned its name.

Gunpowder Tea is also known as Pearl Tea. Today most of the tea is rolled by machine though higher quality grades are still rolled by hand. From there, the tea is graded into three varieties depending on the tea leaves used or from where the tea originated. Those varieties include:

Pingshui: which is also known as Temple of Heaven. These rolled leaves form large pellets, have better color and give off more aroma during infusion; Formosa: is produced from either fresh or roasted oolong tea; and Geylon: which is only grown and produced in Sri Lanka.

The experts at Teavana.com state when purchasing Gunpowder Tea to look for shiny pellets (or pearls) as this will indicated that the tea will be fresher. Further, there is an actual reason that the tea is rolled into pellets and that reason is protection. The leaf is protected from physical damage and it will also hold more flavor and aroma which has often been called fresh with a slight grassy and minty flavor and aroma.

Like all green teas, Gunpowder Tea also has health benefits, such as (1) it has antioxidants to boost the immune system; (2) helps reduce the risk of some forms of cancer; (3) contains EGCG which helps boost the body's metabolism; (4) helps regulate blood sugar; (5) helps resist cavities and gingivitis; and (6) good for the skin.

Enjoy your new found green tea by placing two to three pellets into a cup, fill with hot water and watch as the leaves unfurl allowing the flavor and aroma to take you back in time and help your body at the same time.