Gunpowder tea
Gunpowder tea ( Chinese 珠茶 , pinyin zhū chá - "pearl tea"; pronounced [ ʈʂú ʈʂʰǎ ]) is a type of Chinese tea whose leaf is rolled into a ball. Its English name is derived from the similarity with the pellets of gunpowder . This method of rolling molded tea is mostly used with either dried green tea (the most popular type outside of China) or oolong tea .
Gunpowder tea production dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618–907). It was first introduced in Taiwan in the 19th century. Gunpowder tea leaves are dried, steamed, rolled and then dried. Although the individual leaves were originally rolled by hand, today Gunpowder tea is mostly rolled by machine (however, the best quality is still rolled by hand). By rolling, the leaves are less prone to damage and breakage and are more likely to retain their taste and aroma . In addition, this method enables various types of oolong teas to maintain their quality for decades if treated well by roasting them occasionally.
When shopping for gunpowder tea, it is important to look for shiny balls that indicate the freshness of the tea. The size of the sphere is also associated with quality; larger spheres are seen as a characteristic of lower tea quality. Gunpowder tea is of high quality with small, tightly rolled up balls.
Variations
There are different types of Gunpowder tea:
- Pingshui Gunpowder ( 平 水珠 茶 ): The original and most common type of Gunpowder tea with larger pearls, better color and a more aromatic infusion , mostly sold as the Temple of Heaven Gunpowder or Pinhead Gunpowder. The former is the most common brand name for this type of tea.
- Formosa Gunpowder : A type of Gunpowder tea grown in Taiwan near Keelung . It is said that this tea has its own distinctive aroma and is different from Gunpowder tea from Zhejiang Province in mainland China . Formosa gunpowder teas are usually fresh or roasted oolongs.
- Ceylon Gunpowder : A Gunpowder tea variant in Sri Lanka , which is usually grown from a height of 1,800 meters, see Ceylon (tea) .
Various types of green teas are commonly rolled into "gunpowder" form, including Chunmee , Tieguanyin , Huang Guanyin, and Dong Ding, as well as many other Oolong and classier jasmine teas .
etymology
In Chinese, gunpowder tea is called zhū chá ( 珠茶 ; literally: “pearl tea” or “drop tea”; not to be confused with boba tea ).
The origin of the name could come from the similarity of the appearance of the tea to real gunpowder: grayish, dark spheres in an irregular shape, which were used as an explosive detonator for early weapons. The name could also come from the fact that the gray-green leaf, which is firmly rolled into a small ball, "explodes" like a long leaf when immersed in hot water. Another explanation is that the tea can also have a smoky taste.
It is also possible that the English name (Gunpowder) comes from the Mandarin Chinese expression for “freshly brewed”, gāng pào de ( 剛 泡 的 ), which sounds like the English word “Gunpowder”.
Brewing methods
The methods of brewing tea mainly depend on the tea itself and personal preferences . Therefore, 1 teaspoon of loose leaves per 150 ml of water is recommended. The ideal temperature for this type of tea is between 70 ° C and 80 ° C. The first and second times of brewing, let the leaves steep for about a minute. It is also recommended to rinse the teacup or teapot with hot water before boiling so that the vessels are warmed up. By cooking the Gunpowder tea gets a yellowish color.
The taste of the boiled Gunpowder tea is often described as thick and strong like soft honey , but also smoky and with a slightly coppery aftertaste. The taste of this type of tea is also often described as grassy, minty or peppery.
Use in the Maghreb
Gunpowder tea is exported to the Maghreb , where it is used to prepare traditional North African mint tea. The Moroccan tea ritual is at the heart of every gathering, from an informal visit to a neighbor to lavish dinners with high-ranking dignitaries . Mint tea is made when mint and sugar or honey are added to boiling gunpowder tea.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b GUNPOWDER - BLACK , accessed on November 3, 2016
- ↑ a b Stuart's Brasil , accessed November 3, 2016
- ↑ Slimming Green Tea