It recently went on sale in Spar shops (a UK convenience store) up and down the country. The NAAFI is a non-profit organisation and 50p of every box sold will go to the Help for Heroes charity for UK servicemen injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A silly name I’m sure you’ll agree!

As time went on the PG delivery drivers shortened the name to PG and the name stuck. So thankfully they became PG Tips in the 1950’s.

How does it taste

Better than Typhoo but still a poor quality tea. Its the tea rival at our office where Taylors of Harrogate is drunk by the decent tea drinking folk and the evil Morlocks drink PG Tips while feasting on the bones of children and murdering innocent people.

I’m not saying PG Tips causes this – but its is a definate link!

PG has a very clear and crisp taste. With little body it doesn’t cope well with too much milk and adding sugar can kill the taste almost entirely. Although it’s technically a Breakfast Tea it lacks the punch and so I’d say its lacking Kenyan black and rolls more towards a low quality light Ceylon.

Having said that it is much better than Typhoo so I’ll give it a:

2.5/5

Unfortunately Mr Sumners legacy has been trashed when it comes to taste and decency. Although it is now the most popular tea in the UK outselling even the great Yorkshire Tea by Taylors of Harrogate. Its taste can be described only as wood-y, bland, tannic and dirty. I’ve never come across such a foul concoction in my life as a Typhoo tea. In fact it almost killed me once and it saddens me that its the most popular tea here.

I’d never drink Typhoo and I strongly recommend no one else does either.

A pitiful 1/5

The key advantage the producers are touting is the freshness of the crops. Evelyn Boscawen (son of Lord Falmouth) says that the teas in most peoples home’s are upto 12months old by the time they’re drunk.  Whereas the Cornwall crop is weeks at most.

The last time anything like this was attempted was during WWII when the countries leaders feared the loss of tea supplies could plunge the country into an abyss of misery and woe far greater than the falling bombs ever could!

Due to the small size of the plantation the tea is quite expensive compared to the usual tea choices but if you’re interested in getting hold of this quite rare breed then you can visit the Tregothnantea site for a look.

The Greatest Event of 1886

• Burma presented to Queen Victoria as a gift.
• Coca Cola is invented.
• A fire devestates much of Vancouver in British Colombia.
• Apache leader Geronimo surrenders after 30 years of war.
• Motherwell Football CLub is established.
• The Yorkshire Tea merchants is established by Charles Taylor.

Name

The origin of this tea’s name is open to debate but here’s some of the more plausible explanations:

• When rolled into pellets as is the custom then the tea resembles that of gunpowder pellets.
• The Mandarin Chinese for this tea is gang pao – which sounds similar to “gunpowder”.
• The steeped tea can have a smoky aroma.

In China the tea is more often referred to as zhu cha – literally translated as “Bead Tea”.

Checking for Quality

Gunpowder tea should always be rolled into small shiny pellets.  If they are dull, broken or unfurled then they are to be avoided. Quality brands will be hand rolled rather than mass-produced varieties which are machine rolled.

Brewing

When brewing Gunpowder tea its important to not use too much because with it being tightly rolled it will expand quite a lot and a teaspoonful can easily fill a cup!

Two teaspoons of Gunpowder will nicely fill a teapot and generally keeps for quite a while as the flavours slowly infuse.

Varieties

There are 3 main varieties of Gunpowder although only one has the status as the original.

• Pingshui Gunpowder – This is the original and (in my opinion) the best variety.
• Formosa Gunpowder – This variety is grown in Taiwan and is more often sold as an Oolong rather than a straight green tea.  It has its own distinctive taste.
• Ceylon Gunpowder – Gunpowder in name only this tea was inspired by the Chinese varieties but is grown in Sri Lanka at high altitude.  It has very little resemblence in taste or aroma.

What I Say

For what little my opinion counts I would like to say I love this tea! I bought a box of this called Temple of Heaven Gunpowder from a Chinese supermarket in Nottingham, UK.  It served some of the finest green tea I’ve ever tasted, but unfortunately I lost it during a house move last year.  Ever since I’ve been unable to find a replacement to my Temple of Heaven tea.  I will soon be trying one of the varieties from an online merchant and will then provide a review.

You can get Gunpowder Tea from: Teavana

Technorati Tags: tea, green tea, gunpowder tea

Assam

It’s been almost 12 months since my last introduction to teas from around the world but much has happened since then and I should now be able to continue the series with grace, regularity and consistency.

So lets get on with it and today I’ll be discussing Assam.

Assam Tea Located in India

Similarly with my previous post introducing Darjeeling this tea is from a region in north west India by the name of Assam (see map for details).

Flavour
Assam is a black tea which has a malty and full bodied texture with a strong flavour.  It’s often the main component of Breakfast Teas due to its robust flavour and higher caffeine content.

A Little Known Fact
Assam tea was originally chewed by locals as well as drunk – although not as common since commercialisation.

Assam Born
It is the region of Assam along with China that were the cradles of traditional commercial tea production and so it has a long and prestigious history. The Assam cultivation industry sprang forth in 1838 when 350 lbs of tea were imported from there into London to be sold at the London India House. It was such a popular success that Charkes Bruce began clearance of jungle for the new tea plantations.

Assam Gold Rain Black Tea

Click for Samples

As part of a new series I plan on doing here at the WoT blog I’ll be introducing teas from around the world and giving a short history, introduction and brewing guide.  For my first of this new venture it’ll be the champagne of the black teas: Darjeeling.

What is It?
A light and refreshing black tea from India.  As true Champagne can only come from Champagne in France the true Darjeeling tea can only come from Darjeeling’s surrounding provinces in India.

Origin
As with many teas the Darjeeling variety gets its name from the place it was born – Darjeeling, India.  It was first cultivated in West Bengal in the town of Darjeeling around 1841 by a Dr Campbell.  The Darjeeling seeds were originally sourced from China being part of tea planatation experimentation common at the time in which many teas were established and cultivated.

Counterfeiting
As with anything so sought after Darjeeling suffers its fair share of counterfeit produce.  With an estimated 40,000 tonnes sold worldwide every year that far outstrips the actual 10,000 tonnes produced by the small Indian region around Darjeeling.  The Tea Board of India have released a certification and mark to ensure those wanting true Darjeeling can be sure they’ve got it.

The Perfect Brew
Darjeeling is a light tea so this is one brew you’ll not want to add any sundries to such as sugar, milk, honey, etc.  Simply boil fresh water and pour onto a teaspoonful of tea leaves.  Allow to steep for 3 to 4 minutes before straining then drink.  Although being a black tea it may seem a better idea to allow a longer brewing time Darjeeling is meant to be a light taste and so too long and it is quick to spoil through bitterness.

As this is my first in the Introducing Tea series I’d be more than happy to answer any questions or add sections or other information for future posts.

The tea itself is blended using a variety of leaves from India, Africa and Sri Lanka. Although you could consider this tea merely an ‘off the shelf’ brand available anywhere its far, far from it. It’s available in the supermarkets but its quality is absolutely incredible and you can tell the family behind this tea are really passionate about the leaf.

Mr Taylor who first came to blend these teas did so realising that everyone in the UK had different levels of ‘hardness’ in their water. Therefore he blended teas to get something that tasted great anywhere in the country and even now the company continues this process to make sure it keeps true. If you have especially hard water in your area then they have a special blend too.

Yorkshire tea has become my everyday tea of choice. Its a fantastic benchmark for quality and the company is a shining example of how a tea merchant can be ethical as well as in business.

Tea, The Cure – All
If you are cold, tea will warm you.
If you are too heated, tea will cool you.
If you are too depressed, tea will cheer you.
If you are too exhausted, tea will calm you!

I think he made a better politician than a poet but his sentiment about the great leaf is very true indeed.

William Gladstones autobiography can be obtained at Amazon.