Temple of Heaven - China Green Tea - Special Gunpowder Loose Tea - 8.82 Oz

Oh wow this loose leaf green tea is excellent. I don't know what's wrong with the other reviewers. I figure they have there water scorching hot. This tea is perfect. Fresh and great smooth tasting. I don't really know why people hate on this tea it's top notch high quality. I was blown away these little green pellets expanded in the hot water defuser. And the light golden liqour is great aesthetically pleasing and the aroma is nice. There is a subtle astrigency in the flavor but over all it's just a smooth light yet bodyful green tea. I was able to make 3 eight ounces cups from 1 teaspoon of tea. I'd say the first and second were equilivant or close to each other the third infusion was slightly "lighter" but flavor was there. The first cup was awesome, second cup followed suite, third cup was okay, I mean that's practically 3 cups from 1 tsp. I can see the value in this for green tea drinkers. There was no bitterness detected whatsoever compared to Japanese Green Tea. The leaves didn't look stale they looked good when it expanded. Also expiration date was marked for 2020. The packaging is simple yet the amount you get is great. Because those little pellets do expand amazingly. I'd say Temple of Heaven is a great brand that provides quality green tea in the form of "gunpowder". My only gripe is that my infuser tends to leave "tea like dust" behind. Regardless of Tea Brand. But it's fine I don't let the "tea particles" left behind bother me, I got the same particles from Yamamoto brand Japanese Green Tea. And it was organic certified. I'd say this ToH Special Gunpowder Green Tea is an excellent buy. You can buy 1 kilo for less than $14 bucks. I bought this small amount because I wasn't sure what to expect. But I am happy with my purchase I only regert I didn't buy that 1 kilo box. I know I was raving about the aroma and the value. I forgot to mention this Green Tea does have a sweetness like taste to it. It's almost like a umami (savory n sweet). But it's different. It has subtle sweetness to it.Still feels healthy and refreshing to drink. I could see myself drinking this all day. I don't detect a "smokiness" maybe a slight smokey aroma. But the taste is smooth, with subtle sweetness and fresh. I can see why this variety of green tea is prized in china. I am glad for the high value in terms of quality and cost. I will be purchasing more of this tea when I run low. I'd probably buy that 1 kilo. China Green Tea Special Gunpowder 1 Kilo (1000grams or 35.27 Oz) Guaranteed Authenticity

I have bought Temple of Heaven, China Green Tea, Special Gunpowder, twice in two years. The first time I made tea like any rookie would and that affected the taste and longevity of the green tea. The second time I got this tea I had tried many other teas and watched youtube videos about the art of tea making (google “Ceremonial Matcha” if you are curious). Aromatic, crisp, but not pungent, this tea is delicious…and the price! Here are other brands of green tea (loose leaf, bagged, and Matcha powser) that I tried and liked, but passed on for this Temple of Heaven loose leaf tea brand: Ceremonial grade Matcha, Regular Matcha from Teazers, SerendipiTea Culinary Grade Matcha, Matcha Maker bagged green tea, Tazo Zen Green Tea, Tazo China Green Tips, Bigelow bagged green tea, and imported Green Tea from China whose brand I cannot write because it was written in Chinese characters and which I have not been able to find since I bought it at a shop in San Francisco last year. Out of all these, I would buy these three habitually: Ceremonial grade Matcha, the imported tea I found at a shop in San Francisco, and Temple of Heaven Special Gunpowder green tea. It is not only the airy taste, but also the generous quantity that makes me give this tea five stars! I found that the small box was packed to the brim with excellent looking dried green tea leaves. In comparison, the brand name, loose leaf tea at Target is substantially less full in its box, and for the same price! In terms of quantity, Temple of Heaven has made me very happy. In terms of quality, I am highly satisfied. Just don’t make the mistake I did the first time I bought this tea: I put it in a kitchen cabinet in the original box, it aged poorly, and I threw out the unfinished box. If only I had thought to transfer the dried tea leaves into a Tupperware container I would have been able to fully enjoy the aromatic, crisp, autumn taste of Special Gunpowder tea! Here are tips that I learned, mostly off youtube videos posted by tea connoisseurs, but also through trial and error. First, take pleasure in experimenting with how much tea to put into a cup and how long to steep the leaves. People have different tastes but a really good tea works for most people so long as they learn to prepare it to their tastes. Also, I stopped using anything metal. I replaced my stainless steel tea infuser with a coffee filter tied with string. Others have mentioned here that anything metal or steel can affect the flavor and to steer clear of these infusers. Instead, I take a single coffee filter, spoon in the leaves, fold it gently into a bundle and tie the top stem tightly closed with thick string. I am not this much of a tea snob, I just found myself without an infuser one day and this was the only way I could think of to get my loose leaf green tea fix. As it turns out, it works better than metal infusers! Not only does it let the tea keep its natural flavor, I also do not have to wash the infuser out because I just toss the coffee filter away when I am done! One last thing: I usually hate to drink tea plain without milk and spices (like chai from India), but I make exceptions for this tea because it has this fresh, crisp taste that does not need any additives! I highly recommend this flavor of tea thanks to its soothing taste and generous quantities of the leaves. The price is really good, too. Enjoy!

this is my second time buying this in a month first time was great , delicious ,fresh but the second time it's horrible to this to a sand texture taste really old can return so it's garbage.

I stumbled on Gunpowder Green Tea at a local Asian store and had to try a small box. I checked it out online to learn the history and how it's processed. Interesting. I've tried other brands and prefer Temple of Heaven. Price on Amazon is comparable and seems fresher than local. Nice hint of smokiness this tea is known for. This house drinks a lot of tea - somewhere between 15 and 20 loose tea blends on hand at any time - this is a regular among the two or three most oft brewed teas. And don't forget the reputed health benefits of green tea.

me -->Coffee drinker only in the morning and never bought green tea like this before... maybe a k-cup or something. The description says don't order too much... its gunpowder! Why? In case you don't like it? It's kinda' like they value it and don't want it just wasted? Well, then, I had to try it! I don't care about cultural, ritualistic "do it my ancestors way" crap demands. Just sayin'. :p So, I looked at it - all pebbly looking - and put 1.5 rounded teaspoons in a stainless meshy-ish k-cup. I ran a tiny bit of hot water in and shook it to get the gunpowder wet. Gunpower... that's funny. Anyway, it sat wet for about 2 minutes. I then ran 4ozs through it with the Keurig on 'strong.' Then, I did it again, but this time, I did 6ozs on strong. The result was 10ozs of deep color and deep flavor. A little more tasty, grassy depth than I expected. Yum. To complete the experiment, I stirred in 'the end of a teaspoon' amount of honey and 'voilà ,' I have a brand new happy to add to my existence. I just ran it for a 3rd time (6oz strong) and took a pic... it's not bad. Not as strong of course, but still tasty. Next time I might try 10ozs strong while it is still dry, then 10oz strong again... "If it ain't broke, it can get better." <-- a famous quote by me. ;~}

Preface: Last I bought this tea, it came in a metal tin and there were no branches or broken leaves (early 2000s). The leaves were whole and rolled and never left sediment. I had read the reviews that stated people were seeing far more branches and broken leaves but I wanted to order and see if the flavor would be anywhere similar to the tea that I used to drink daily for many years. Review: I brewed this tea at 79c/175f for 1 minute due to a majority of small, broken leaves. I wanted a light flavor rather than robust. The tea did leave sediment, even though I used a very fine mesh. The sediment does not bother me but it was not what I expected based on my previous experience. The scent is very mild and recognizable: nutty, sweet, a bit grassy. The taste is nothing special, a simple green for every day drinking. It rivals the green tea in single serve bags that you can pick up at any grocer. It gets the job done. Final Thoughts: If you are an every day, multiple time a day green tea drinker. It's hard to beat the price for the amount that you receive. It is not the product I remember visually but the taste is not far off. I will continue to use the product I received and brew it different ways to observe the flavor changes. Info about photos: Taken directly from camera roll without any post editing.

A nice gunpowder tea, especially for the price point. If you have an open or extra airtight canister this tea is perfect for filling up a container to have bulk tea handy for larger tea sessions or when company is over and you're not going to the top-shelf stuff. It is recommended that you give this tea a good tea-bath first (use google) to wash of some excess dust and allow the tea to open before first true infusion and you get massively better results using easter method brewing styles over western brewing methods. Make sure to use right temperatures or will go bitter. Also worth noting that the plastic wrap around the box when it arrives is the only air-barrier the tea has as inside the box the tea is loose inside of a paper bag that is simply folded down and not sealed itself. This is not an issue in regards to this review at all, but is something worth noting if you do not have a secondary container to put this tea in after it arrives. NOT AS A KNOCK TO THIS PRODUCT AT ALL -- but if you enjoyed this tea you should also try off Amazon: Tealyra - Gunpowder "Temple of Heaven" - Green Loose Leaf Tea - Most Known Chinese Green Tea - Organically Grown - Caffeine Medium - 110g (4-ounce) Both products are great (and Tealyra is probably the best quality:price you'll find on amazon for loose tea period) but neither of them are top-shelf products. But if you are a tea-head and that's what you're looking for, you're probably not looking here! =D

This always wakes me up. Gives me energy.