How do I prepare Chinese Gunpowder Green Tea?

November 21, 2006 10:22 AM

How do I properly prepare Chinese Gunpowder Green Tea? My mom recently received as a gift a box of Chinese Gunpowder Green Tea (brand pictured here). We'd like to try it but we're both confused about how to prepare it, since we've never been big tea drinkers and until now have been spoiled by the convenience of teabags.
posted by DrSkrud to food & drink (17 comments total)

Get yourself one of these. It's like a cafetiere, but for loose tea. Pop a tablespoon of the tea in there, pour boiling water in, wait for about five minutes, put on top of your mug, it all drains through, magic.
posted by randomination at 10:31 AM on November 21, 2006

Is it leafy or more fine? You should be able to pick up a pretty cheap teapot with a strainer insert. Just put the tea leaves in the strainer and let it steep for whatever time is suggested.

This site has some excellent and inexpensive little plastic tea steeping things as well as some decent FAQs on suggested steeping times and other tea related stuff.
posted by routergirl at 10:32 AM on November 21, 2006

Gunpowder green tea is whole tea leaves that are rolled up into little nubs. I usually brew it in a teapot like any other loose tea, though you might put a little less than the usual teaspoon per cup since I think it is a little denser.
posted by Good Brain at 10:46 AM on November 21, 2006

Ulitimate resource by renowned tea master is "The Book of Tea" by Kakuzo Okakura.

I drink it all the time.

Tips:
Make sure water is boiling.
If you want to go all out, use your favorite water. If you want to go WAY WAY out, use the local water where the tea was grown.
Don't use much tea. Green tea tastes best when it's light, and gunpowder is very strong. Use too much tea, and it'll taste bad.
I use about a flat, quarter-sized amount in my palm to make a small pot (one huge mug's worth).
I steep for about 3 minutes. But that's something you'll need to experiment with.
It can vary caffeine-wise, but I find it to be about half as strong as a cup of dark coffee.
Use fresh leaves for every pot.
I prefer without milk, sugar, or honey.
I use a little iron teapot with a lift-out strainer. Spoon strainers don't work that well. Tea needs some room in the water.
I love it, as green tea can keep you going all day without any coffee crash.
posted by nicholai88 at 10:46 AM on November 21, 2006

I second the Adagio site. I own a couple of their IngenuiTEA steepers and it has converted me into a full-fledged tea snob. Haven't had a coffee in years. They have a couple of green tea sampler packs that really offer a nice wide range of green tea styles. To answer your question, green teas are best prepared at less-than-boiling (180 degrees F), and steeped for a shorter-than-normal 3 minutes. But, yeah, I've learned all I know from Adagio so check them out, and happy teabagging!!
posted by afx114 at 10:49 AM on November 21, 2006

Oh, and nicholai88 is right, don't use too many leaves, especially with gunpowder. It's really strong. The first time I made it it tasted like drinking water from a rained out ashtray.
posted by afx114 at 10:51 AM on November 21, 2006

and happy teabagging!!

oh lord.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 10:53 AM on November 21, 2006 [1 favorite]

Tea brewing is a very much a personal preference thing. I brew my loose teas at work with a Swiss Gold Tea Filter. The actual Chinese folks here at work use some sort of thermal voodoo that lets the tea drop to the bottom of the glass and thus use no filters.

Only thing to keep in mind is gunpowder is an unusually dense green tea, so a little goes a long way compared to most green teas.

If you like it, go try some Pearl Jasmine or White loose teas. Those are my favorites. White loose is the least dense form of loose tea I've ever encountered but has a terrific flavor.
posted by chairface at 10:58 AM on November 21, 2006

You can also use a coffee press in a pinch; it lets the leaves move around but strains them out well.
posted by craven_morhead at 11:14 AM on November 21, 2006

I have one of these: tea infusers. It basically turns leaf tea into a teabag. They're fantastic. I use about 1/4 teaspoon of gunpowder in an infuser to make a mug, but I like my tea weak. I'm going to second the Jasmine and white tea suggestions.
posted by handee at 12:06 PM on November 21, 2006

Some good tips here.
Use a clay pot, unglazed inside, for one tea exclusively. The tea oils build up and season the pot. Never wash it with detergent; just rinse. I used to have some old, very ordinary tea that people raved about. I can only infer that it was my old clay teapot that imparted the flavour.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 12:07 PM on November 21, 2006

Nobody has yet mentioned the all-important "bring your water to the tea" rule: don't go putting the tea in the water, pour the water over the tea.

Also, while coffee presses will get you by, Bodum makes a pretty nifty tea press teapot which works about the same way as a coffee press save that when you are done steeping you press the plunger all the way down and the gasketed plunger will seal the leaves and a small bit of water down at the bottom of the internal chamber. This prevents the nasty bits of the end of the leaching process (tannins, bits o' decomposing leaf, etc) from contaminating the rest of the pot like a coffee press would. Also microwave safe save for the plunger. Look for 'em where you'd find coffee presses: fussy cooking stores and Cost Pluses are usually a good bet.

Day to day I use an in-cup infuser (this one, actually) to get my fix and it rather enforces the above w-2-t rule.

Disclaimer: this sort of thing can get you into Trouble if you are the fussy sort. Suddenly you'll find yourself with an English wife and sitting around at the end of the day with your expensive tea set thinking you are living the good life, etc, etc.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 12:17 PM on November 21, 2006

If you want a slightly more elaborate (but definitely delicious) treat, try traditional North African mint tea, which uses mint leaves and Chinese gunpowder tea.

Here's a good recipe:

"To make about a liter of tea, first heat the teapot. Add about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of green tea, a handful of fresh whole mint leaves with their sprigs intact, and between 150 - 180 grams of lump sugar. Swirl the liquids around and then quickly pour out the water, taking care not to lose any of the leaves or undisolved sugar. (Moroccans swear this takes the bitterness out of the tea). Add the mint and and more sugar to taste and pour in about 1 liter of boiling water. Let the mixture brew for about 6 - 8 minutes and then skim off any mint that has risen to the surface and then serve in small glasses."

When I make it, I usually leave the sugar out of the teapot and just let everybody sweeten to taste.

It's traditional to pour the tea from high up, holding the teapot a couple of feet away from the cup to let it cool down and aerate as it pours. This is really fun to do, but pretty messy unless you're very good at it ...
posted by ourobouros at 12:21 PM on November 21, 2006 [1 favorite]

Light fuse and get away.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 1:42 PM on November 21, 2006 [1 favorite]

Green tea is best at about 180 degrees F - you don't want it boiling. The tea can be taken out after steeping it, or the leaves can be left in as you drink it.
posted by Camel of Space at 2:05 PM on November 21, 2006

Here's what we do over here in China.

1- Heat some water
2- Put tea in water
3- Drink

That's pretty much it. I use a pinch per cup.
posted by Pollomacho at 5:46 PM on November 21, 2006 [1 favorite]

Thanks a lot for the tips, guys!

ourobouros: That "Moroccan Mint Tea" recipe is exactly what my mom was interested in she was given the tea. We'll definitely try that one out.

I think I'll get myself an Adagio Starter Kit and start learning all about tea. :)

Thanks again!
posted by DrSkrud at 7:52 PM on November 21, 2006