A green tea with surprising body and a captivating taste that has an intriguing hint of oakiness our Royal Ceylon Gunpowder has a greenish full bodied slightly high-fired character.
Gunpowder tea is produced like green tea but after the steaming process the tea is tightly rolled into what appears to be pellets or little balls. When boiling water is poured over them the evenly sized little balls blossom to produce a full-flavored, refreshingly astringent infusion with a hint of smokiness. A stimulating "breakfast" tea in the morning or served as an accompaniment to food anytime.
Ingredients: Artisan green tea
Origin: Dimbula, Sri Lanka
Royal Gunpowder is an especially good green tea for the following reasons: - The base tea comes from some of the best estates in Sri Lanka - The tightness of the rolled pellets gives excellent flavor when made into tea. - The region where the tea is grown - Dimbula - is a high grown area producing full-bodied flavorful tea. In Dimbula the peak quality time is during February when northwest monsoons create dry weather conditions in Dimbula. Royal Gunpowder tea is manufactured in very limited quantities due to the time and diligence required to manufacture this high quality tea. It is very difficult to achieve such a tight roll of leaves; but this process allows this particular type of tea to able to be stored for a long time without any deterioration in quality.
Tea was planted in Sri Lanka by the British in the 1860’s after coffee rust wiped out the then primary agricultural coffee crop. At that time the British East India Company had a near monopoly on tea, with most of Britain’s needs coming from China. Relations between China and Britain were quite rocky during this period (on account of the Opium Wars) and tea in Sri Lanka looked like a great way to diversify supply risk by ‘the company’. This gunpowder tea is made in the Chinese tradition but the benefits are superior quality tea.
Brewing Instructions
Water Temperature: 158-175 degrees
Water Quality: Best with Spring Water
Amount of Leaf (per 6 fl oz water): 1 tsp. (2.5 grams)
Steep Time: 1-3 minutes
Number of Infusions: 3
Our Pin Lin Gunpowder tea may be prepared in a standard teapot, tetsubin, or in your favorite mug or lidded gaiwan. For best results, we recommend that you pre-warm your vessel, and place 2.5 grams of leaf per 6 oz of liquid, before infusing with 158-175 degree water for up to 1-3 minutes. As with all green teas, Pin Lin Gunpowder can be infused at least three times. Increase the time and temperature slightly with each subsequent infusion. Experimenting with your own temperatures and steeping times is encouraged. Cooler temperatures and shorter times yield more mellow, fruity elements, while hotter water and longer times produce more floral and full-bodied complexities. Always use the best-tasting water you can find, and adjust steeping times, quantity of leaves, and water temperature to your personal preferences.
We highly recommend brewing your tea in a teapot or mug with a removable infuser so that you can remove the leaves at the end of the steeping time. Whole leaf teas of this quality need room to unfurl and expand in the water in order to perform their "magic." If you don't have a removable infuser, you can brew the loose leaves directly in the pot. At the end of the steeping time, pour all of the tea into a warm serving pitcher or pot.
