Gunpowder Green Tea Cert. Organic Fair Trade Certified™ Loose Leaf 1.5 oz: K

Our Chinese gunpowder tea is plucked, withered, rolled and immediately fired. The firing process produces a rich, sweet subtle smokiness that is unique to Chinese green tea. Origin: Dazhangshan Tea Garden Estate, China. 'Gunpowder' is a strong tasting green tea made from the highest quality first-harvested tea. The tea was named 'Gunpowder' by an imaginative English clerk who thought the tiny rolled green tea balls looked like balls of gunpowder. The Chinese name is Siaou Chu, which means 'large leaf.' It is also called 'Pearl Tea.' Rolling the leaf both forces out the water and brings the flavorful juices to the surface. The dehydrated pellet retains its shape during firing and keeps its freshness longer than tea not manufactured in pellet form. Once immersed in water, the tea leaf extends, revealing the entire whole leaf. Green tea should be steeped in very hot, but not boiling, water. Boiling water will scorch the delicate flavor, rendering it bitter. Green tea comes mainly from China, Japan, Taiwan and, to a lesser degree, India. The critical difference between green and black tea is that green tea leaves are not allowed to ferment. Green tea is, instead, steamed, rolled and fired. Green tea is the natural dried leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Black tea is oxidized green tea. The phrase 'Black Tea' is also used as a generic name for all Camelia sinensis teas. The major Black Tea types, from the traditional black tea evergeen (Camellia sinensis), classified according to processing method, include: fermented, or black, tea, producing an amber-coloured, full-flavoured beverage without bitterness; semi-fermented, or oolong, producing a slightly bitter, light brownish-green liquid; and unfermented, or green, tea, resulting in a mild, slightly bitter, pale greenish-yellow beverage. Tea contains only four calories per cup when consumed without added ingredients but is a source of several B-complex vitamins, including B2 and nicotinic acid. Caffeine is responsible for tea's stimulating effect. Flavor is produced by volatile oils, and astringency and color by tannin. Black teas are classified by geographical origin and the size of the processed leaf. Traditional operations result in larger leafy grades and smaller broken grades. The leafy grades are flowery pekoe (FP), orange pekoe (OP), pekoe (P), pekoe souchong (PS), and souchong (S). BOP=Broken Orange pekoe; FOP=Flowery Orange Pekoe; TGFOP-Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe; FTGFOP=Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe. Green tea is not graded similar to black tea but classified according to age, style of the leaf and manufacture, e.g., Gunpowder, Pan-fired, Young Hysson, Bancha, etc. Since green tea, unlike black and oolong tea, is not fermented, the active constituents remain unaltered in the herb. Green tea is bioflavonoid-rich, proven useful for fighting free radical damage in the human body. It has a high content of polyphenols, which