Elmwood Inn was already 20 years old when 75,000 troops descended on the village of Perryville, Kentucky in October 1862. Gunpowder green tea would have been the tea of choice for the fortunate soldier who could secure a bit for his knapsack. Merchant John Burton, Elmwood's first owner, stocked this Chinese tea in his general store but hid it along with other valuables as the invading armies scavenged their way across the region.
Contrary to oft-told stories among Civil War and American Revolution reenactors, brick tea was not found in soldiers' kits during either conflict. Chinese brick tea was transported out of Northern China into Mongolia, Tibet, and Russia. The East India Company imported only Chinese loose tea.
Gunpowder green tea was originally from China. By 1890, 40% of the green tea in America, including Gunpowder, came from Japan.
Read more about the history of tea in A Social History of Tea by Jane Pettigrew and Elmwood founder Bruce Richardson.
*According to the FDA, Consuming Just Two Cups of Black or Green Tea Daily Reduces the Risk of Heart Disease and Diabetes.
