Gunpowder Green Tea

What it is

Gunpowder tea is a green tea whose leaves are steamed, rolled and dried into small, dense pellets that resemble grains of gunpowder — hence the name. Almost all of it is imported from China (chiefly Zhejiang province), and Morocco is one of the world's largest buyers; familiar market names include the long-established brands sold in green-and-gold boxes and tins.

The pellet form matters: tightly rolled leaves keep their freshness and then open up in the hot pot to give the strong, slightly bitter brew that Moroccan tea is built on. A related, more delicate 'chun mee' (warqa) green tea is sometimes used or blended for a smoother cup.

It is a true pantry staple — a box of gunpowder tea sits in every Moroccan kitchen, as essential as sugar and mint — which is why it closes out this pantry pillar.

In the Moroccan kitchen

There is essentially one, all-important preparation: Moroccan mint tea. The gunpowder leaves are rinsed with a first splash of hot water (poured off to wash away dust and bitterness), then brewed strong with a large bunch of fresh spearmint and a generous amount of sugar, and poured from a height to aerate it and build a little foam (the keshkusha) on top.

The ritual matters as much as the recipe: tea is the currency of hospitality, offered to every guest, poured by the host, and drunk in three rounds. In winter, other herbs — wild absinthe (chiba), verbena, sage — are sometimes added or swapped for the mint.

The technique to master is balance: enough tea for strength, enough mint for perfume, enough sugar for the traditional sweetness, and the high pour that gives the glass its signature froth.

• Moroccan mint tea (atay) — the national drink, brewed strong and sweet
• Rinsed first with hot water to wash and de-bitter the leaves
• Steeped with fresh spearmint and sugar, poured from a height
• Winter variations with wild absinthe (chiba), verbena or sage
• Offered in three rounds as the ritual of hospitality

How to choose & store

Good gunpowder tea has tight, hard, evenly rolled pellets with a dull green sheen, not a lot of dust, broken leaf or grey, faded colour. Tighter, shinier pellets generally mean fresher, better tea and a cleaner, less harshly bitter brew. Very cheap, dusty tea makes a rougher cup — drinkable, but blunt.

Buy from a tea-and-spice seller who can show you the loose leaf, and consider a mid-grade gunpowder for everyday tea, keeping a finer chun mee (warqa) for a smoother pot. Boxed brand-name tea is reliable; loose tea from a good stall can be better value and fresher.

Buying it in Marrakech

What to look for at the stall — and how to buy well without invented prices to anchor you.

• Buy from tea-and-spice sellers in the souk who stock loose gunpowder by weight as well as the familiar boxed brands.
• Look for tight, hard, evenly rolled pellets with a dull-green sheen and little dust or broken leaf — the tighter and shinier, the fresher.
• Ask to see (and smell) the loose leaf; a good seller will show you the grade and let you compare an everyday gunpowder with a finer chun mee.
• Pick up the classic accompaniments while you are there — a bunch of fresh spearmint and a sugar cone — from the nearby stalls.
• Choose a sealed tin or box for travel, so the tea keeps its freshness and does not pick up other smells.

Substitutes

• Any decent loose green tea can make a mint tea, but gunpowder's strength and body are what stand up to the sugar and mint; a delicate green will taste thin.
• Chun mee (warqa) green tea gives a smoother, less bitter cup and can be used alone or blended with gunpowder.
• For a caffeine-free version, Moroccans brew the same ritual with herbs alone — verbena, wild absinthe or sage with mint and sugar — though it is no longer 'green tea'.