Named for its tightly rolled leaves that resemble grains of gunpowder, was a popular green tea imported from China in the 18th century. Its compact form made it ideal for long sea voyages to colonial America, where tea was a daily staple and symbol of British cultural influence. During the Boston Tea Party in 1773, American colonists, disguised as Mohawk warriors, boarded British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea, including gunpowder tea, into Boston Harbor as a bold act of defiance against the Tea Act and British authority.
