Most tea purveyors carry gunpowder green tea; it is, after all, a very popular variety of green tea.  That being said, it should be noted that not all gunpowder green teas are alike, so it is important to know the quality of the tea you’re buying.

This is an excellent organic gunpowder green tea from Frontier Co-Op.  The flavor is extraordinary, with hints of a smoky, earthy quality amid a fresh, fruity note and a satisfying nutty characteristic.  With a little more body than most green teas, this tea leaves a very agreeable mouthfeel that is quite similar to an Oolong.  And there is a certain comfort that comes from knowing the tea you’re drinking is organic and fair-trade.

Frontier Co-Op describes this tea as

This tea has a very rich flavor, with a hint of sweet smokiness. The leaves are rolled into little pellets that unfurl and ‘bloom’ in the cup.

Botanical name: Camellia sinensis L.

A robust tea to pair with grilled vegetables, seafood, chicken and pork. Or try Gunpowder in small sake cups with smoked salmon or mini pot stickers at a cocktail party.

Like so many fine quality teas, this one does taste best when served hot.  However, it remains quite flavorful as it cools, so it is one that would also do well served as an iced tea, perhaps with a slice of lemon or lime.

A cautionary word about measuring gunpowder tea.  If you are like me, you use a teaspoon to measure your tea (not a measuring teaspoon, but the kind of teaspoon you would use to stir your tea).  I don’t weigh my tea, because, in my opinion, tea is to be a relaxing, enjoyable experience, and the preparation should be as therapeutic as the consumption of the tea.  Weighing anything is not a therapeutic exercise and is best left at the doctor’s office, so it’s a simple teaspoon of tea for me.

However, it should be noted that a teaspoon of gunpowder tea will hold more tea than say, a teaspoon of Dragon Well tea.  So, rather than measuring out a heaping teaspoon of gunpowder green tea for a cup of tea, you should probably go for about 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of it.  A full teaspoon of gunpowder tea will steep to a very strong tea, indeed.

So, a little less is more in this case; and this is also true of the brew time.  A one minute steep in water that is very hot but not yet boiling will render a delicious cup of tea.  Add about 30 seconds on to each subsequent infusion; this tea is good for at least 3 full-flavored infusions.