I got a sample tin of this tea from Ricky in a trade (thanks man!).
Now I’ll start off by saying that the first and only experience I’ve had with gunpowder green tea was rather…regretable. It had a muddy quality to it that I found unplalatable. This tea, however, brewed up nice and clear, turning the water a dark, honey-coloured shade.
The tea has a bit of a smokey, roasted sort of flavour, which I think comes at least partially from the pan-frying method that is used to process Chinese greens. There’s also a grassy quality to it that reminds me of traditional style matcha – although the taste is a bit coarser and astringent.
So all in all, it’s a good tea that’s restored my faith in the ability of gunpowder teas to taste decent. ;)
