TEA Black Pearl Gunpowder

While Black Pearl Gunpowder teas are relatively new to the Western World, legend pegs the existence of this special brew at least as far back as the golden age of pirates. Oral history in Yunnan maintains that in those days, a European pirate ship turned up at a village port carrying a load of starving, blood-thirsty pirates, fresh from crossing the East China Sea. Upon arrival, the pirates began terrorizing the village, demanding food, drink and ammunition so they might continue their quest to roam and pillage. With 24 hours to comply with their demands, the village elders called a meeting to order. At the meeting, the elders decided to provide food and drink to the swashbucklers, but wisely determined that handing over ammunition would probably not work in their favor. Their reasoning being that this would allow the pirates to fire their cannons, which could then be used against them. Scrambling to find a solution, a tea farmer raised his hand. His fresh crop of black tea could be rolled to look like gunpowder and packed in crates, he reasoned. By handing over the tea, the village could buy time to summon a nearby garrison before the pirates realized they’d been duped.
And so, the villager got to work, rolling and packing the black gunpowder. Amazingly, the pirates accepted the tea and set sail. Discovering they’d been had, they sailed back to the village, but by then the garrison had arrived and quickly put the pirates down. To this day, Black Gunpowder tea is manufactured according to the ancient tradition. Tea is plucked, dried and hand-rolled to produce the signature gunpowder shape. In the cup, the tea is bright and golden, with hints of earth and mild astringency. Revenge as they say, can be delicious.
Don’t forget your tea infuser!