555 green tea is a Chinese gunpowder tea: green tea leaves rolled into small tight pellets. It is the tea used for Senegalese ataya, for Mauritanian tea and for Maghreb mint tea. 250 g box, loose tea, without mint or added flavouring.
What is 555 tea?
On the box, it reads “Superior green tea, Palais Impérial, Chinese gunpowder green tea”. Gunpowder describes the shape of the leaves, rolled into pellets that unfurl in hot water. This is why it is sometimes called “555 tea seeds”: these are indeed leaves, not seeds. And it is a green tea, not a black tea. It is imported into France by Haudecœur. Plain, its taste is strong and slightly bitter: it is made to be softened with sugar and flavoured with fresh mint.
How to prepare ataya?
Ataya is prepared in a small teapot, over the fire, and drunk in three rounds with the same leaves.
- Use about one tablespoon of tea for 30 cl of water. Quickly rinse the leaves in hot water and discard this water.
- Add the water, bring to the boil and let it steep for a few minutes. Sweeten generously.
- Pour from a height into a small glass, then from one glass to another, several times, until you get a good froth.
- Serve. Add more water, sugar and fresh mint for the second, then the third round.
According to the saying, the first glass is bitter like death, the second mild like life, the third sweet like love. In Mali and Mauritania, tea is also served in three glasses, each with its own customs.
What to pair it with?
When fresh mint is missing, SAMIA broken soft mint comes to the rescue. To vary the end of a meal, TANTIE kinkéliba is the other infusion of Senegalese households. The mint tea recipe is on the blog, and the whole range is here: teas and infusions.
Product information
- Brand: 555, Palais Impérial range, imported by Haudecœur
- Contents: 250 g box
- Ingredient: loose-leaf green tea (gunpowder)
- Origin: China, as stated on the box
- Allergens: none of the 14 allergens that must be declared, by nature
- Storage: in a dry place, away from light and odours, box tightly closed
Precautions
Green tea naturally contains caffeine (also called theine). Ataya is a very concentrated tea: it is drunk in small glasses.
