Normally Pinhead Gunpowder Green Teas are considered the best quality, since their smaller size pellets result from using smaller leaves that are also more tightly rolled up. In the case of this tea, the pellets are small because the pellets are not made from whole leaves, but instead consisted of broken bits of leaves and about 25% large stems broken into bits. I have attached a photo showing the wet leaves and stem after brewing one cup with 1 heaping teaspoon of tea. The stems are not the central vein of the leaves, but chopped up pieces of large twigs. Once the pellets are wet and unroll, they look like the hedge trimmings I have feed through my wood chipper to make compost. When good Gunpowder Green Teas are wetted the pellets will unfurl into mostly whole leaves, where broken bits are the exception. WIth a good Gunpowder Tea, you can put a teaspoon of pellets directly into a cup of hot water to steam without needing to strain the tea before drinking, since the leaves are whole. I've made 9 teaspoons of this tea so far, and I have not yet found a single whole leaf. The tea is mostly about 1/4 inch sections of leaves about 1/2 wide. The tea was made from broken bits of low quality large leaves. One of the reasons for rolling the leaves is so that they don't get broken up into bits when during storage and shipping.The rolling of the fresh leaves after steaming normally prevents oxidation of the leaves while drying. The amount of time the leaves are left to oxidize after steaming before they dry is what distinguishes Green, versus Oolong, versus Black Teas. This tea is much browner that most Green Teas, at least good ones. It looks more like a low quality Oolong bagged tea.The reason this tea is browner that most is likely because it was made from chopped bits of leaves damaged by mechanical harvesters. When not handpicked, many of the leaves get crushed and broken before steaming. The steaming kill bacteria and fungi on the leaves, so that they don't begin to decay. Oolong and Black teas are often said mistakenly to have be fermented, which is not the case. The are allowed to oxidize before drying. Reacting with the oxygen in the air is akin to iron rusting, and not the same as fermenting grapes, grains, cabbage, or milk to produce wine, whiskey, kraut, and yogurt. When the harvested tea leaves are left to sit for long periods after harvesting before being steamed, they begin to ferment, i.e. rot. When they are broken into bits before steaming, this happens even quicker. This poor handling of the harvested leaves causes the resulting tea to have a musty smell. When I smell this tea in the can, the pellets smell like grass clippings that have composted for a few days. Good Green Teas should smell more like freshly mown clippings or dried hay, without the smell of kimchi or kraut.I normally use store brand generic Green Tea bags for making Kombucha Tea. This tea tastes worse than the cheapest from the grocery. I'll be using the remainder of this tea to make Kombucha, which I drink for digestive health rather than its taste. I would say that at least its metal can might be re-used for some creative purpose, but even it is of low quality, with a paper label that was applied crooked and peeling, so it's destined for the recycle bin.I should have been warned off by the twee name, "The Tao of Tea". This tea has more in common with the "The Tao of Pooh" than any beverage served in a Taoist monastery. If offered a cup of this tea or plain hot tap water, I'd choose to drink the water straight.