With good manufacturing techniques the cup characteristics can be maintained at a very high level - such is the case with this tea. This tea is a classic top quality Gunpowder (marked as ‘Osprey’ the high soaring bird of prey, the pinnacle) with good ‘green tea’ taste properties - slightly vegetative but refreshing and clean.

Superior quality gunpowder tea comes from the province of Zhejiang in China and from Taiwan. This particular tea comes from a tea estate west of Hangzhou in the hill country of Zhejiang province. The green leaf for this tea is plucked during April, corresponding to the time of the best quality. Legend has it that the name Gunpowder was given by a young English clerk who thought the tiny rolled green balls looked like gunpowder. The Chinese name for Gunpowder Tea is Siaou Chu, which literally means large leaf. Rolling the leaf has two effects on quality of the tea. It forces to the surface flavorful juices that otherwise would remain in the leaf. Rolling also forces out water, thus helping to reduce the tea’s final moisture content. The pellet retains its shape during firing and keeps its freshness longer than tea not manufactured in pellet form.