Pinhead Gunpowder

I'm still working my way through the teas that the Pretty Lady bought for me from a shop she still hasn't taken me to yet. This one took a little while to grow on me, simply because I couldn't find a good time to drink it. Eventually I realised that since it had a real food-like quality to it, some savour that isn't normally present in tea, it was best drunk when I was quite hungry. Works too - lines the stomach until I can get to the kebab shop.

The tea comes in little black beads, exactly as described - pinheads (large ones) that look and smell like they are made of gunpowder. They're not really very appetising - someone I showed them too remarked that they looked like hamster droppings. No matter.

Pinhead Gunpowder
Oolong tea
China (Zhejiang province)
Golden brown, slightly cloudy

Preparation: About thirty or forty pinheads. Got to have a lot of tea in order to get the flavour. More is more, and first steeping is best. This is a tea that does indeed benefit from slightly cooler water.
Nose: Bitter, vegetal, smoky.
Tasting: Bitter salty, herbal smoke, minerally, slightly metallic, hints of smoked ham.
When to drink: When hungry so that I can last that bit longer before stuffing my face. It's quite substantial, funnily enough.

This tea is also known as Pingshui Gunpowder (平水珠茶). Although some websites claim that it's a type of green tea, mine definitely tastes oxidised. I think it's oolong tea prepared gunpowder style. Apparently Morocco is a major consumer - they brew the tea with mint and serve it up as such. Given the tight rolling into little beads, it's no surprise that the tea expands as it sinks to the bottom of the cup. Quite the show.