One of the most popular green teas is called Gunpowder. Gunpowder tea production can be dated back to the Tang Dynasty 618 – 907 CE, the drinking of Camellia sinensis first became popular in southern China around 400 CE where it was drunk for its taste as well as its pharmacological purposes. By the Tang Dynasty tea drinking was synonymous with everything sophisticated in society. The poet Lu Tong 790 -835 CE devoted most of his works to his love of tea. The ‘Sage of Tea’ Lu Yu 733 - 804 CE, wrote a monumental treatise on the art of drinking tea called ‘The Classic of Tea’. Tea was carefully kept using paper either folded or sewn to hold and preserve the flavour of the tea. In Chinese, Gunpowder Tea is called zhū chá, literally ‘pearl tea’. It is said that its English name comes from the resemblance to grains of gunpowder and the fact that the rolled leaves ‘explode’ into a leaf when added to hot water. I personally feel it is more likely that the Mandarin word for ‘freshly brewed’ which is ‘gāng pào de’, was misinterpreted when asked for the name of this drink.
