I have lived in New Orleans and Seattle, in both cities coffee is in the air. Shops have fans above their roasters that pull the air out into the streets. The coffee in both cities is great. I love the smell and taste of a good cup early in the morning. Sometimes even a bad cup is good. The only problem is my body does not like it and it lets me know. The days of taking a cap of Pepto-Bismol with my morning coffee are over. What is a Webmaster going to do? Caffeine it is one of my favorer molecules. I switched to green tea. I have tried many green teas. I liked most of them but green tea is not coffee.



Green tea better be good to compare with Cafe Du Monde Coffee with beignets at the French Market or a Starbucks double tall Latte at Pikes Place Market. Thanks to Gunpowder, I miss New Orleans and Seattle but I do not miss coffee.

Gunpowder green tea does it for me. There are other good teas but I enjoy Gunpowder the same way I enjoy a good Latte. I think everyone who enjoys coffee can find a green tea they enjoy just as much as coffee. Gunpowder may not be the tea for you, it may take some experimenting with teas but if you need to switch there is hope.

The gentle level of caffeine in the tea helps me enjoy the morning without the extreme ups and downs that I experience with coffee. I no longer have the shock of driving to work in the mornings so I do not need the jolt of a couple cups of coffee. I can enjoy two or three cups of tea without being too wired. More than three cups of a strong Gunpowder brew and I will be out mowing the yard before I know what is going on. That much caffeine and something just takes over.

The thing about Gunpowder is it needs to steep. I have read many articles about how to make tea and they generally say to let tea steep for just a few minutes. That just does not work for gunpowder. Gunpowder leaves are rolled up in tight balls. The leaves need time to unfold and steep. Put three cups of water in a pan, add a couple table spoons of gunpowder tea, bring the water just to almost boiling. Turn the heat down and let it sit. This is not microwave cooking and this is not tea bag tea. This is the real thing, let the leaves unfold and steep.

I am not trying to sell you on Gunpowder green tea. If you are a coffee drinker and want to switch I am trying to sell you on finding your own tea. It may take some experimenting with brewing your own teas. Get good strainer, a good pot and buy a bunch of teas. Buy as small amount as you can, of as many varieties as you can, so you can find a few you like.

Gunpowder can be a little strong, some of the other teas I like when gunpowder gets to be too much are Genmaicha, Jasmine and Kukicha Twig Tea. Jasmine is great with food. Genmaicha has popcorn and rice in it, it is not strong and is good brewed with a little Gunpowder. Kukicha twig is good to settle the stomach, it has a nice nutty flavor.

Tea has one half or a third of the caffeine as in coffee. That means you can drink twice to three times as much. The most caffeine is found in black tea. Caffeine is stronger the smaller the tea leaf. A higher caffeine content is in the tea leaves that are fermented longer. Fresh tea leaves contain about 4% caffeine.

If you do not want caffeine, decaffeinated green tea still has some caffeine. Not all of the caffeine can be taken out by the decaffeinating process only most of it. There is debate about how much of the benefits are lost by the decaffeinating process. Some say the health benefits are ruined.

Green tea is better for your teeth. Tea will stain your teeth but nowhere as bad as coffee. Tea contains fluoride, so your teeth will be healthier, if not as white. My dentist says that a rinse of water after drinking tea helps, also use baking soda-based toothpaste and get your teeth cleaned often. My dentist would say that.