The most important thing you need to know- if you are just diving into the world of tea - is whether your loose leaf green tea comes in a gunpowder form or not. Gunpowder beaded or pearl tea, is loose leaf that has been rolled into a small pellet. These leaves will expand when brewed. This product is more condensed so if you are measuring your tea with a spoon, be careful and don’t use the same amount of tea you would use with “unrolled” leaves.

How does it taste like? It is hard to give an answer to that because each variety tastes different. Green tea is generally grassy in flavor which doesn’t appeal to everyone. The Sencha variety is softer, fresher and sometimes even has a sweet taste to it. Chinese Gunpowder is usually stronger and sometimes described as smokier in flavor. You can always try a green tea blend that combines tea leaves with other fruits or flowers.

How do I prepare it?

If you are preparing gunpowder use 1 level teaspoon of tea leaves for 240 ml. (=8 ounces of water). If you are using Sencha or any other “unrolled” loose leaf variety, use a heaping teaspoon for the same amount of water.

Water temperature is supposed to be between 170°-175°F (=70°-80°C). The steep time should be 2 to 2 and 1/2 minutes, not any longer or else the tea won’t taste right. Use a clock for this one.

Check out part 1 for more on White Tea and part 3 for Black Tea.