TEA TERMS

Some Common (and Uncommon) Tea Terms

Tea, like wine, has its own vocabulary. You may wish to practice using one of these terms each day, until you can blend them easily into the flow of your conversation

  

** (man, did I learn some things!!!)**

 

Agony the Leaves- The relaxation of curled leaves during the steeping.

Ahnui- A major black tea producing in the region of China.

Aroma – The fragrance of tea liquor and the infused leaf, denoting "Inherent character"., also refrerred to as "nose" or "bouquet". The analysis of aroma is the most vital aspect of tasting or enjoying tea.

Assam- a type of tea grown in the nothern state of Assam in India.  Known for its strong, beep red brewed color and with heavy liquors.

Astringency – The lively, pungent and sometimes feeling of dryness on your tongue that gives tea is refreshing quality.  The pallet registers a dry, harshness or coarseness compared to a soft mellowness. The unoxidized or natural polyphenols present in tea account for the "puckering" sensation which in turn activate the salivary glands, giving tea its reputation as a thirst quencher.  Not to be confused with bitterness.

Attractive- Well made, uniform color and size

Atumnal-  A seasonal term applied to teas grown during the period possessing varying degrees of flavor. Tea harvested late in the growing season.

Bakey- a over-fired tea in which too much moisture has been driven off.

Balance – All flavor elements in harmony.

Bergamont - The essential oil of the bergamot orange, which is mixed with black tea to give Earl Grey tea its characteristic flavor

Billy- A tin pot used for boiling tea over an open fire (Australian term)

Biscuity – A pleasant, almost fresh-baked aroma present in some black teas. It is also found in a well fired Assam.

Black- a black appearance is desirable. Preferably with "bloom"

Blackish- This is a satisfactory appearance for CTC and LTP manufacture teas and denotes careful sorting.

Black Tea- The most common type of tea worldwide. From the Camellia sinensis plant, where the leaves have been fully oxidized or fermented, imparting a characteristic reddish brew.

Blend- A combination of different types of teas and/or tisanes; sometimes with flavors such as chocolate, or vanilla.

Bloom- a "sheen" which has not been removed by over-handling or over-sorting.  A sign of good manufacture and sorting where the reduction of leaf had taken place before firing.

BOP1 – Broken Orange Pekoe, Grade #1. Typically medium sized particles of leaf (“brokens”), which fall through the first screen in the grading process. In Ceylon, however, denotes a leaf size similar to that of an Assam OP.

Body – The weight of tea liquor as felt on the tongue, as opposed to thin. How the tea feels in your mouth. A tea is described has having light, medium, or full body. Full-bodied teas have fullness and strength as opposed to being thin.

Bold- particles of leaf, which are too large for the particular grade.

Botanicals – Caffeine free herbal ingredients that include leaves, roots, barks, berries, grasses, seeds and peels.

Brassy- An unpleasant acidic  or metallic taste associated with improper withering of the tea leaves.

Break- An auction term describing a tea lot for sale, usually at least 18 chests.

Brown- A brown appearance, with CTC and LTP manufacture, normally reflects too harsh treatment of the leaf.

Brick tea- Tea leaves that have been steamed and compressed into bricks; the bricks are then shaved and brewed with butter and salt and served as a soup.

Bright – Teas with sparkling color and crisp fresh flavor. Denotes a lively fresh tea with good keeping quality. A lively, reflective leaf or its resulting brew

Brisk-The most "live" characteristic resulting from good manufacture.  The clean, assertive “bite” in black teas — a flavor in many high grown teas. A lively, slightly astringent taste as opposed to flat or soft tasting liquor; also a Lipton trademark.

Brew – Not really a tea term, but often used to describe the steeping process when making teas, as in “fresh-brewed tea.”

Broken- A term describing tea leaves that have been processed through a cutter, reducing leaf size

Burnt- extreme over-firing.

Caffine- A stimulating compound found in tea.

Cambric Tea- A weak tea infusion with large proportions of milk and sugar.

Catechins- A class of polyphenol found in high concentrations in green tea, and lower and varied concentrations in black tea.

Ceylon- Teas from Sri Lanka (Ceylon is the old word for the country). Still used when referring to tea grown on the island

Cha- Tea in Chinese and Japanese; the romanized spelling of the Chinese and Japanese characters for tea

Chai- The term for tea in Indian and must of south Asia; often short for masala chai / spiced tea, which is usually made from strong black tea combined with milk, sugar, and spices.

Character – The aroma and flavor qualities that are characteristic of a tea from a specific region.

Chest- A traditional container for shipping tea from the plantation typically made of wood with an aluminum lining

Chesty- Inferior or unseasoned packing materials caused this taint. A term describing tea that has taken on the undesirable smell or taste of the wooden chest in which it was shipped

Chewy – Tea with a dense, viscous liquor and complex flavor.

Choppy- Orthodox (or Rotorvane) manufacture leaf, which is cut by "breaker" during sorting.

Chunky- a very large broken tea leaf.

Chummee- A grade of curled Chinese tea

Clean- Leaf which is free from fiber, dust, and any extraneous matter.

Color – A tea that exhibits great cup color and strength.  Not necessarily an indicator of quality. The region in which the tea was grown and the grade of tea play a part in the color.

Common – Tea with plain, thin liquor that has no distinctive qualities, and distinctive flavor.

Congou- A general term for northern Chinese black tea, derived from gong fu, defined below

Coppery-Bright leaf which indicates a well manufactured tea. A term describing a reddish infusion, associated with black teas of high quality

Course- fiber content, An undesirable harsh, bitter taste.

Cream- a precipitate obtained after cooling. A bright cream, indicates a good tea.

CTC – A grade of tea. Cut, Tear and Curl (CTC) is an alternative manufacturing style to the orthodox leaf styles, and yields a thick liquor and full body. Leaf is granular, with more surface exposed. Often used in chai blends.

Curly- The leaf appearance of whole leaf grade Orthodox teas such as OP opposed to wiry.

Darjeeling- Tea grown in the Darjeeling region of India, near the Himalayas. Elevations are 2,500 to 6,500 feet.  Darjeeling teas are usually highly astringent

Dark- A dark or dull color, which indicates a poor quality leaf.

Delicate – Teas that have subtle flavor and aroma characteristics.

Dhool- A term describing the coppery, fermenting tea leaf

Dry- Indicates slight over-firing. slightly bakey or scorched taste.

Dry leaves-  with their great variety of style and color can be smelled to assess the "nose" of the tea, namely the presence of any pleasing aroma or distinctive fragrance. However, the emphasis on the evaluation of the dry leaf is predominantly on appearance. The degree of rolling, the texture of the made leaf and the presence of stalks, fiber, dust and tips all provide important clues to the tea taster as to the quality of the tea being examined.

Dull – The flavor of an old or poorly manufactured tea. The tea liquor that lacks a lively, bright character in both appearance and taste.

Dust – A tea grade (“D”) denoting that which falls through the final screen as very fine particles of dull, thick tasting tea.  smallest grade of tea, often used in tea bags because it creates a quick infusion.

Earl Grey- Black tea scented with bergamot, defined above

Earthy- normally caused by damp storage.  A taste that can be "climatically inherent" in leaves from certain orgins.

English Breakfast-A blend of tea usually from Assam, Sri Lanka, Yunnan or Keemun which produces a hearty taste and holds up well to milk.

Estate- Land or property holding, perhaps made up of more than one garden under the same management or ownership.

Even- Size is true to grade and of consistent size.

Fannings – Small leaf teas used for packing traditional teabags.  Leaf particles that have been sifted out of high quality teas.

Fermentation – Also known as oxidation, this is the process of exposing fresh macerated tea leaves to oxygen which turns them from green to black tea.

Fibrous- A term describing teas that contain a high percentage of fannings.

Fine- A term used to describe tea of exceptional taste and quality.

Firing- The process of rapidly heating the tea leaves with hot air or in a wok, to stop fermentation and dry the leaves for a finished product. The method of drying or removing moisture in tea. Firing also heats the enzymes in the leaf and halts the oxidation. Panfired, baset fired and oven drying are all examples of this process

Flat-A term describing lifeless tea that lacks astringency and briskness, sometimes as a result of being old or stored improperly.

Flakey- Flat, open, and often light in texture.

Flowery-A grading term that indicates leaves with light-colored tips

Flush – The period when tea bushes develop tender new shoots for harvest. The freshly-picked tea leaves, including the bud and the top two leaves of the tea plant. There can be several flushes in a season. The term can also refer to the various harvests - thus first flush is the early, spring plucking. Second flush is plucked in late spring/early summer and so on

First Flush – The early-season harvest in many tea-growing regions, most notably Darjeeling.

Flat – Tea that lacks flavor and character, unfresh- usually due to age.

Flavory – A tea that exhibits intense cup color. Not necessarily an indicator of quality. Most desirable extension of "character" caused by slow growth at high elevations and rarity.

FOP – Flowery Orange Pekoe. Full leaf tea with golden or green tip color.

Formosa- Tea produced in Taiwan; primarily oolong.

Fruity- can be due to over-oxidation or bacterial infection before firing delivering an overly ripe taste.

FTGFOP1 – Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, Grade #1. See
TGFOP1.

Full- a good combination or strength and color. strong, vibrant tea infusion.

Garden- Used interchangeably with "plantation" in some tea growing countries but usually referring to an estate

Gone off- a flat or old tea. Often denotes a high moisture content.

Grainy- Describes well made CTC (Crush, Tear and Curl) or LTP primary grades, particularly Pekoe Dust, and Dust 1 grades.

Grade – Refers only to the size of the dried tea leaf.

Grassy-

Teas without physical or chemical wither.

Green- An immature "raw" character. Caused by under fermentation, or from immature tea bushes (and sometimes under-withered). liquors are often raw or light. Can also be caused by poor rolling or Orthodox leafs. increasing popular in the West due to purported health benefits

Grey- Caused by too much abrasion during sorting. Too much handling

Genmaicha	Green tea blended with toasted rice
Golden (tip)	A term describing the orange-colored tips on high quality tea leaves
Gong fu	A Chinese term meaning performed with care; describes a style of brewing that involves many repeated short infusions in a small pot
Gunpowder	Green tea that has been rolled into pellets resembling gunpowder, which unfurl in hot water to brew
Gyokuro	A Japanese term meaning pearl dew, referring to green tea produced from shaded plants in the district around Uji, Japan

Hard- a very pungent liquor. often positively associated with Assam teas. a desirable strength

Harsh- A taste generally related to under-withered leaf and very rough. A disagreeable strong, bitter taste

Heavy- A thick, strong and colour liquor with limited briskness.

High-Fired- Over-fired but not bakery or burnt.

High-Tea -A traditional mid-day service which includes light snacks, typically cookies and small pastries

Honeybush- A South African plant similar to rooibos, used to make tisanes, or herbal infusions. Its flowers smell of honey, and its taste is a little sweeter than rooibos.

Hungry	A term used when the characteristics generally associated with a tea’s variety or origin are not present
Hyson	A Chinese term meaning flourishing spring associated with green teas, and a brand of tea popular in the eighteenth century. "Young Hyson" is a type of China tea made from an early spring picking.

Iced Tea- Tea brewed and served chilled

Infusion- Tea’s liquid extract, prepared by steeping; also referred to as liquor

Intense – Tea that has unusually concentrated flavor and aroma.

Invoice – An unblended lot of tea that possesses its own unique flavor and aroma characteristics.

Jasmine- Flavor and scent of jasmine flowers; often used in green and black pouchong tea

Kemum-Black tea from central China, typically hand-rolled and fired.

Kombucha- is an effervescent fermentation of sweetened tea that is used as a functional food.
Sometimes referred to as a "mushroom" or "mother", the kombucha culture is actually a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast
Lapsang Souchong- A Chinese black tea that is fired over a pinewood fire for a characteristically smoky aroma and flavor

Leafy- Orthodox manufacture leaf tending to be on the large or long side.

Light- Lacking strength and any depth of colour. Light in weight and of poor density (sometimes referred to as flaky). Also used sometimes to describe the liquor color, but not necessarily its flavor.

Liquor – Brewed tea is referred to as liquor in tea tasting.  The liquid or infusion produced by the tea leaves

Malty- A term describing a desirable malted barley taste, often found in Assam tea

Manufactured – The process that hand picked green leaf goes through to reach its finished state. The best teas are manufactured at the location where they are grown.

Make- A well made tea (or not) and must be true to the particular grade.

Mature- Not bitter or flat.

Mellow- A term describing the taste of tea made from leaves that have matured well

Metallic – Undesirable flavor quality found in some lower-quality black and green teas. A sharp colour flavour. A term describing the dry taste of some teas

Mixed or Uneven- Tea leaves of varying color.

Muddy- A dull, brownish, opaque liquor or infusion.

Muscatel-A grapey taste; an exceptional characteristic found in some Darjeeling teas

Mushy- a tea which has been placed or stored with a high moisture content.

Musty- a tea affected by mildew.

Neat- a grade having good "make" and size.

Nose- smell of the dry leaf. A synonym for aroma, defined above.

Nilgiri -A tea district in south India.

Nuwara Eliya -A tea district in Sri Lanka.

Old-Having lost most original attributes through age

Oolong-A lightly fermented style of tea, typically using larger leaf grades. Type of manufacture with some oxidation. Falls between green and black teas

OP – Orange Pekoe. Not a type of tea. Refers to a large, almost whole leaf size. Has little to do with quality.

Orthodox – Tea processed in the traditional method, which is made from the top two leaves and bud of the tea plant and mechanically rolled resulting in a thin twisted leaf.

Origin – Where tea is grown and manufactured.

Oxidation – The process where macerated tea leaves exposed to oxygen begin to turn a dark red-amber color and develop complex flavor.  The process of enzymes naturally found in tea in the production of oolong and black teas. See fermentation.

Pale-

Lacking color except in "green" teas where liquors should be pale.

Pan-fired- A term describing tea that has been fired in a wok.

Papery- Paper taint with dry, flat character. Sometimes associated with age

Pekoe-A grade of small, whole leaf tea, from the Chinese term baihao, which refers to the white hairs of the new buds on the tea plant
 

Point- A bright, acidy and penetrating characteristics. A desirable brightness and acidity often associated with Ceylon teas.

Polyphenols-Astringent compounds found in tea that have potential health benefits.

Plain – Characteristic of the liquor  is "clean" but a dull or thin tea lacking in the desirable characteristics. A term describing a dull, sour infusion

Pungent- astringent with a good combination of briskness, brightness, and strength.  Often reserved for the best quality Assam and Ceylon teas. highly desirable

Pluck – The handpicking of tea leaves. The process of harvesting the tea by cutting the flush from the growing tea plant

Powdery- A fine light dust.

Quality- refers to "cup" quality and denotes a combination of the most desirable liquor properties. Essential characteristic of good tea

Ragged- A uneven or poorly manufactured and graded tea.

Rasping- A very Course and harsh liquor.

Raw- a bitter, unpleasant liquor.

Rich- A term used to describe a pleasantly thick and mellow liquor

Rolling – The process of macerating tea leaves which changes their shape and begins the enzymatic reaction that leads to flavor development. also results in the curled appearance of the final tea leaf.

Rooibos- Also known as red bush; a South African plant with needle-like leaves, used to make tisanes, or herbal infusions.

Round-A full, smooth-tasting liquor

Second Flush – The second leaf harvest period of the season. Second flush teas have fuller flavor, body, and color.

Self-drinking- A term describing a full-bodied tea that does not need to be blended.

Shottty-

Well-made and rolled, particularly of Orthodox BPS.

 
Smokey- Mainly caused by leaks around the dyer heating tubes. or A term describing teas fired over an open fire, resulting in exposure to wood smoke

Soft- The opposite of briskness and lacking and "live" characteristics. A term describing under-fermented tea.

Souchong- Large leaf teas harvested from the third and fourth leaf of the tea plant.

Spicy- Character suggetive of spices

Stalk and Fiber- Should be minimal in primary top grades, but generally acceptable in lower grades. A term describing teas that contain pieces of stalk from poor plucking

Strength – Describes teas that have a lot of flavor, color and aroma. Substances in cup.

Strong- Can be a bold, heavy cup or sharp, powerful character

Stewed- a soft liquor with an undesirable taste caused by faulty firing at low temperatures and often insufficient air flow.

Tannin	A misleading term referring to tea polyphenols, which are different than the tannic acid polyphenols associated with other plants such as grapes, and therefore wine.
Tarry	Another term describing smoky teas, defined above
Tat	A wire mesh or burlap apparatus used to lay the leaves out for withering and fermentation
Theaflavins	Orange-red potyphenols unique to fermented black teas, and a compound formed from catechins
Theanine	An amino acid unique to tea
Theine	A synonym for caffeine
Thick	A term describing tea that has good body or strength
Ti kuan yin / Ti guan yin	A Chinese term meaning Iron Goddess of Mercy; an especially dark and fragrant type of Oolong tea
Tired	A term to describe tea that is past its prime and consequently has a flat or stale character Thickness- description of viscosity, ranging from light, almost water to a heavy, juice consistency
Tisane	An herbal infusion made from anything other than the leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis), such as dried fruits, flowers or herbs
Tuo cha	A bowl-shaped tea brick made from pressed pu erh tea
Twist	A synonym for rolling, defined above. A leaf that has “twist” has been well-rolled.
Two and a bud	A term describing the part of the tea plant that is typically harvested, i.e. the top two leaves and the bud. See also Flush, above.

Taints- Characteristics or tastes which are "foriegn" to tea.  Such as petrol, garlic, etc.  Often due to being stored next to other commodities with strong characteristics of their own.

Tea Taster- A judge of the cup quality and the leaf, this expert tests for quality at all stages of production, brokerage and shipping.

Thin- An insipid light liquor which lacks any desirable characteristics. A term describing tea that lacks body or has a weak infusion; not necessarily undesirable

Tip- A sign of fine plucking and apparent in the top grades of Orthodox manufacture. or Tippy

A term describing teas that contain generous amounts of leaf tip and therefore produce a more flavorful cup

TGFOP1 – Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, Grade #1. Full leaf, hand sorted tea with an abundance of tips, showing that the tea has been carefully plucked and sorted.

Thickness – Similar to body or strength.

Toasty- Caused by over-firing

Twist-

Well rolled, imparted during rolling, particular reference to whole leaf.

 

Uva -A tea district in Sri Lanka

Varietal – An unblended tea from a particular origin.

Vegetative – Green teas often have qualities that are grassy or taste of green vegetables. Signifies freshness and quality.

Whiskery-A term describing leaves covered with a fine hairy fiber; also referred to as hairy.

White- A type of very light green tea; the term refers to the white hairs on the picked tea bud.

Winey- A term describing aged, mellow teas, as with some Keemun teas

Withering – The process of allowing the fresh tea leaves to naturally lose moisture after plucking and become soft and pliable for further manufacturing, before fermentation.

Weedy- a grass or hay taste related to under-withering. Sometimes referred to as woody.

Wild- Liquor character found in end-of-season teas

Wiry- The appearance of a well twisted, thin leaf Orthodox tea.

Woody-A term describing an unpleasant hay or sawdust-like taste.

Yixing- Pronounced ee-hsing, a region in China known for its purple clay, and the unglazed teapots produced from it.

Yunnan- Spicy tea grown in the Yunnan province, in the southwest of China

http://www.smithtea.com/smith-experiences/tea-terms/
http://www.imperialteagarden.com/teaterms.html
http://www.persimmontreetea.com/blog/glossary-of-tea-terms/
http://www.holymtn.com/tea/TeaTerms.htm