Green
From £5.05
Gunpowder is one of the most famous names in tea. This quality China green tea, from Zhejiang Province, is rolled into tight pellets. The pellets are a black-green colour and resemble lead shot – or, it seems, gunpowder, which is how this robust, invigorating and delicious tea got its name.
Gunpowder tea is popular in the Middle East and North Africa, where it is blended with mint and large amounts of sugar to make Touareg. Gunpowder is also drunk on its own as a delicious afternoon tea.
The tea produces a dry, rather dark green liquor with quite a strong flavour that is often described as nutty or oaked. It is often fairly bitter. This can be refreshing, but the flavour is brought out and improved by adding a very small amount of sugar.
Gunpowder tea is good for your teeth, Chinese researchers have discovered! In fact, 3 cups of Gunpowder tea supplies an adult’s daily fluoride requirement.
From £3.30
Green China Tea has long been scented with Jasmine petals. The process is arduous and painstaking. The leaf tea must be layered with thousands of Jasmine petals, picked at night, and left in racks to absorb the unmistakeable fragrance. The result is a wonderful tea that is naturally cleansing and uplifting.
To Brew: Put one teabag per person in a mug or warmed pot and add fresh, boiling water. Brew for 2-3 mins. Drink without milk or sugar. China Jasmine is ideal for putting in a thermos flask when travelling, as it is a clear, bright tea that will keep well.
From £3.10
Because green tea is less processed than black, the natural colours and flavours are preserved. These tea bags have a grassy, straw-like flavour which is extremely refreshing and perfect for making ice tea in the summer. The brewed tea is a bright yellow-green colour in the cup.
In China they have never been in any doubt whatsoever about the benefits of drinking tea. It is just that Western medical orthodoxy has taken a couple of millenia longer to "discover" what traditional practice has known for a long long time.
To enjoy at its best use one bag per mug and pour on fresh water that has been allowed to cool a little off the boil. Brew for between one and two minutes according to taste - it needs long enough to infuse, but don't leave it too long or bitter flavours will begin to develop.