The pearls of this Zhejiang green tea are rolled tight enough that they still look like gunshot when you tip them into the pot, which is where the name comes from — not a marketing flourish but a description that predates most tea marketing by a very long time; the style traces back to the Tang Dynasty, when tight rolling was prized for keeping leaves fresher for longer than looser-processed teas.
Production starts with young spring leaves and buds, picked by hand while they're still tender. They're withered to shed moisture, then steamed or pan-fired to stop oxidation and hold onto the green colour, before being rolled, by hand or machine, in small batches, into those dense little pellets. The rolling locks in oil and flavour as much as it shapes the leaf. A slow turn through rotating drums finishes the drying without letting the pearls go brittle, and the result is a glossy leaf that unfurls slowly in the cup.
In the glass, expect grassy, nutty character with a thread of smoke running through it, softened by notes of lemon, date and honey and a touch of natural sweetness. The body is smooth going in with a slightly drying finish, medium-weight rather than light, and the aroma is understated, more garden than perfume. It has been drunk both ceremonially and as an everyday tea in China for a very long time, which tracks with how well it holds up to repeated, unfussy brewing.
Caffeine sits in the moderate range, something like 20-30mg per 8-ounce cup, enough to notice without the jitteriness of a stronger brew. Traditionally it has also been reached for to help with digestion, headaches and general fatigue, and credited with supporting alertness and focus; treat those as long-standing folk uses rather than guarantees, but they are part of why the tea has stayed popular for daily drinking.
To brew it, use water at 80°C, about a teaspoon of leaf per cup or 8-ounce serving, and steep for about two and a half minutes. Pre-warming the pot helps it hold that temperature through the steep. A slice of lemon or a little honey suits it if you want to soften the smoke further. Once opened, keep it in an airtight container somewhere cool, dark and away from strong smells, since the pearls pick up odours easily and lose their edge in sunlight or damp air.
