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Country of Origin: United States, China
Region: Washington State, Zhejiang
Shipping Port: Seattle, Shanghai
Grade: Organic Cut and Sift; Second Cut,
Organic
Altitude: 2500 ft above sea level
Manufacture Type: Field grown, sun dried,
machine milled; Gunpowder
Cup Characteristics: A green tea with
balanced green tea body and pungent, cool, and fresh peppermint
Infusion: Tending yellowish green
Ingredients: Luxury organic peppermint and
organic gunpowder green tea
- Organic Credentials:
- The Metropolitan Tea Company Ltd.
Certified Organic by QMI Organic Inc.
Certificate #: 150 - 2008
Information:
This
tea is a classic blend of Organic Chinese Gunpowder and Washington
State Organic Peppermint, which is some of the finest mint in the
wrold. It is a full body green tea with refreshing and clean
peppermint. Organic
tea is
produced without the input of chemical fertilizers or pesticides and
herbicides.
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 an
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 helps 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.
Peppermint
is
believed to be a hybrid species that evolved from spearmint and
watermint.
However, peppermint has been around so long its genealogy is obscure.
It has
been reported as a stewing herb by ancient Hebrews and it has been
found in
3000 year old Egyptian tombs. 2000 years ago the Japanese cultivated
peppermint
as a source of menthol. Peppermint is a primary ingredient in remedies
used in
the relief of gastrointestinal disorders, headaches, and local aches
and pains.
Because of it's bright, pungent flavor, peppermint is often used to
mask the
unpleasant taste of various medicines. Peppermint tea is made from both
the
leaves and the flowers. As a hot tea it is cool and refreshing, as an
iced tea
the menthol content produces a pleasantly chilling taste sensation.
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Hot tea brewing method:
Bring freshly drawn cold water to180 degrees. Place 1/2 to 1 teaspoons
of Organic Moroccan Mint for each cup into the teapot. Pour the boiling
water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to
taste (the longer the steeping time the stronger the flavor). Pour into
your cup. Milk or sugar is not generally added to the cup.
Iced tea brewing method (to make 1 liter/quart):
Place 6 teaspoons of tea into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Pour
1 1/4 cups of 195 degree water over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes.
Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your
serving pitcher straining the leaves. Add ice and top-up the pitcher
with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste. [A rule of thumb when
preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to double the strength of the hot
brew since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water.]
