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THE
ART OF TEA TASTING |
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 Like
fine wines, there are literally hundreds of grades,
qualities and varieties of tea on the market today.
Teas are sampled by tasting experts, known as
tea-tasters, at least five times before they reach
you. Tea tasting is a time-honored ritual,
and one that we think you’ll enjoy! Experiment
yourself, or invite your circle of friends for
an evening tea-tasting party! After all, tea
tasting is an art—not a science!
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Tea Tasting:
Step by Step
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First, lay the dry leaves
in rows in small, individual containers on a “tasting
bench.” Of course unless you’re an
expert, your kitchen table will do!
Next, place an equal weight of each tea, (the
British standard is 3 grams or one teaspoon) in
special lidded brewing cups. Add boiling water,
then cover. Regular cups with saucers on top will
work for your purposes. Place
each “lidded” cup between an empty
white china bowl and the container that holds
the dry leaves of the sample. Any old bowl will
do for you.
Brew very carefully, usually for 3 minutes.
Pour the brew into your tasting
bowls, and put the infused leaf on the “lid”
of your brewing cup so you can compare the leaves
in the cover with the dry leaves, and with the
tea itself.
Next, you’ll act just
like a wine taster. Make sure your tea is cool
enough not to burn your tongue. Slurp the tea
sharply into your mouth so it hits your taste
buds right away. You may use a soup spoon or
you can sip right from the bowl. Roll it around
to assess the flavor, and then spit it out into
a special “mobile spittoon.” Of
course, you can just use a bowl, pot or even
your sink. It’s not required that you
spit out the tea, especially if you only taste
a few.
Like the expert tea-tasters,
evaluate each leaf’s color, shape and
elasticity. Note its odor in the infusion, the
tea’s aroma and color, and once it’s
slightly cooled, its taste.
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The Language
of Tea
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In recording
your observations, use the vocabulary of tea,
which is pure poetry. Like wine, a fine cup of
tea is described by
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- Its color: green, light green,
olive green, amber, golden, brown, or reddish
- Its flavor: flowery, round,
aromatic, or sweet
- Its liquor: limpid, crystalline,
or brilliant
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We at PLAIN-T
selected some of the most used words from the
vast vocabulary that tea-tasters use to describe
infused teas. Try and experiment yourself! Choose
some black teas, green teas or whichever you’d
like and start tasting, exploring and comparing
them. Before you know it, you’ll be describing
teas in your own special way! Enjoy!
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| Body
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The
quality and weight of tea on the tongue.
It can be light, medium, full or wispy.
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Brassy |
Refers
to liquor with a bitter taste. |
| Bright |
Not
dull in appearance. High quality.
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| Brisk |
A
lively taste from a well-oxidized,
well-fired tea. |
| Chocolaty |
A
desirable flavor quality of fine Darjeelings. |
| Coarse |
Bitter
or overly acidic due to improper processing. |
| Colory |
Special
category teas with good colored liquor. |
| Dull |
Muddy
looking; the opposite of “bright.” |
| Flat |
A
tea that has a stale taste; found
in old teas. |
| Flavory |
With
a distinctive taste. |
| Full-bodied |
A
combination of strength and color. |
| Greenish |
An
infusion with a bright green color.
Not desirable, caused by under-rolling
or under- fermentation. |
| Harsh |
A
bitter, raw taste with little strength. |
| Heavy |
Full-bodied
and low in briskness. |
| Malty |
With
a hint of malt. Found in well-made
teas, especially Assam. |
| Mellow |
Smooth,
pleasant, easy. |
| Metalica |
Coppery
flavor, sharp. |
| Pungent |
Astringent
without being bitter. |
| Smooth |
With
a pleasant, rounded taste. |
| Soft |
The
opposite of “brisk,” caused
by bad oxidation or firing. |
| Thin |
A
tea with little strength due to hard
withering, under-rolling, or too high
a temperature during rolling. |
| Tip |
The
very end of the delicate young buds
that give golden flecks to the processed
leaf. |
| Wiry |
Well-twisted
leaf, as opposed to open pieces. |
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