Tea Time: Tea Terminology

Contents:

Tea Terminology

Glossary of tea terms.

• A-B • C-D • E-F • G-H • I-L • M-O • P-R • S-T • V-W •

A-B

Afternoon Tea: British tradition; typically served during mid-afternoon and consisting of hot tea with pastries, sandwiches, savories and scones.
Attractive: Uniform color and size of leaf.
Agony of the Leaves: Unfurling of tea leaves during the steeping process.
Aroma: Fragrance of brewed tea leaf and its liquid; also known as "the nose."
Astringency: Dry sensation in the mouth caused by high levels of un-oxidized polyphenols in a specific tea.
Autumnal: Teas harvested during autumn; usually refers to teas from Formosa and India.
Bakery: Over-fired teas.
Basket-fired: Fired or dried Japanese tea cured in baskets.
Bergamot: Oil derived from the bergamot orange; used to flavor tea but mainly associated with Earl Grey.
Billy Tea: Prepared in billy cans by Bushmen in Australia.
Biscuity: Expression often used by tea-tasters to indicate Assam teas which have been well-fired.
Blend: Mixture of teas.
Bloom: Sheen of the tea leaf.
Body: Term used by tea-tasters to describe full-strength brew.
Bold: Large-leaf cut tea; usually too large for classified grade.
Brassy: Improperly withered tea which gives an acidic, unpleasant bite.
Brick Tea: Tea leaves steamed and compressed into bricks.
Bright: A light-colored tea leaf or its resulting bright-red brew.
Brisk: Very astringent tea.
Broken: Smaller tea leaf created after passage through a cutter.
Burnt: Teas exposed to excessive heat during processing; leaves an unpleasant aftertaste.

C-D

Cambric Tea: Weak tea infused with large amounts of milk and sugar.
Character: Quality in tea that identifies origin of growth.
Chunky: Tea with large-sized tips.
Cloning: Cuttings from old tea bushes which are planted to produce new tea bushes.
Color: Based on grade/growth/harvest season; measures the physical color depth of tea.
Coppery: Reddish infusion usually found in high-quality black teas.
Cream: The "cloudiness" which appears when hot-brewed tea cools; bright color indicates quality.
CTC: Short-name for Crush, Tear & Curl; occurs during the manufacturing process when tea leaves are created with a strong infusion.
Cut (also known as orthodox): Tea production utilizing a "breaker" instead of a "roller."
Dhool: Coppery, fermenting tea leaf.
Display Tea: Teas with a special appearance when steeped, such as Jasmine Pearls.
Dry: High-fired tea which has a “baked” taste (see Bakery); usually indicates over-processed tea.
Dust: Smallest grade of tea; commonly used in tea bags because it infuses quickly.

E-F

Even: Tea grade with equal-sized leaf pieces.
Fannings: Tea which is one grade higher than Dust; made from small particles produced during the tea-making process.
Fermentation: Green tea oxidation process used to make black and oolong teas.
Fibrous: Tea containing a high quantity of fannings.
Firing: The process of rapidly heating tea leaves with hot air; halts fermentation and dries tea leaves for finished product.
Flaky: Open, flat tea leaf improperly withered and rolled.
Flat: Briskness of brew is weak or missing altogether; often the result of tea which is old or stored improperly.
Flowery: Tea grade which indicates tea leaves with light-colored tips.
Flush: Timing of tea harvests; "first flush" is early spring picking of new shoots; "second flush" is harvested in late spring through early summer (which yields more body and full flavor); and "autumnal flush" (late-season harvest).
Full: Strong tea with good color but no bitterness.

G-H

Genmaicha: Green tea made with toasted rice.
Golden: Term used to describe orange-colored tips found in high-quality black teas.
Grade: Tea leaf or particle size of leaf.
Grainy: High-quality CTC (hard-leaf) teas.
Green Tea: Withered tea which is steamed and/or fired before the oxidation process begins.
Gunpowder: Green tea rolled into pellets; they unfurl in hot water when brewing.
Hard: Pungent tea; usually refers to Assam teas.
Harsh: Bitter tea.
Heavy: A full tea with deep-colored infusion without astringency.
Herbal Infusion: Teas made from a blend of herbs without tea leaves; often referred to as "herbal tea" or "herbal tisane."
High Tea: Meal served late afternoon to early evening; combination of afternoon tea and dinner.

I-L

Iced Tea: Brewed tea served chilled, often with lemon and sugar.
Infusion: The process which extracts various elements from tea, berries, fruits or herbs by submersing in boiling water; also used for obtaining medicinal properties.
Jasmine: Tea scented with jasmine flowers.
Lapsang Souchong: Chinese black tea fired over pinewood fire; produces a smoky aroma and flavor.
Light: Tea that produces a weak infusion.

M-O

Make: Denotes tea which has been properly processed.
Malty: Over-fired tea.
Matcha: Japanese finely-milled green tea used to color or flavor foods such as mochi and soba noodles, green tea ice cream and wagashi (confectionery). It is a finely-ground, high-quality green tea not to be confused with tea powder or green tea powder.
Metallic: Dry, coppery taste.
Mouldy: Indicates old or improperly stored tea or tea that has been exposed to moisture.
Muddy: Dull, brownish tea infusion.
Musty: See Mouldy.
Nose: Aroma of brewed tea.
Oolong Tea: Lighter brew with larger leaves; a lightly-fermented tea which is a cross-between black and green.
Orange Pekoe: Refers to the size of the tea leaf and not quality or flavor; also indicates a larger-size grade of whole leaf teas.
Orthodox: Traditional method for picking and processing teas in India without using CTC technology (see Cut).

P-R

Pan-Fired: Tea which has been fired in a wok.
Plain: Dull, sour tea infusion.
Plucking: Harvesting and collecting tea leaves.
Pruning: Trimming of the tea brush; maintains shape and helps to increase yield.
Pungent: Highly astringent (brisk) tea.
Ragged: Rough, uneven tea leaf.
Raw: Bitter tea.
Rolling: Process whereby withered tea leaves are rolled to initiate oxidation and twisting in the leaf.
Rooibos: Popular South African tea which does not contain caffeine.
Russian Tea: Hot tea poured into a glass over a slice of lemon.

S-T

Scented Tea: Teas flavored by adding flower petals, fruits spices and/or natural oils.
Self-Drinking: Full-bodied tea that does not need to be blended.
Semi-Fermented Tea: Partially oxidized before being fired and dried; most often refers to Oolong tea.
Shotty: Well-made, rolled teas; usually indicates Orthodox.
Smoky: Teas fired over an open fire; results in exposure to wood smoke.
Soft: Under-fermented tea.
Souchong: Large leaf teas harvested from the third and fourth leaf of the tea plant.
Stalky: Teas which contain pieces of stalk from poor plucking.
Strength: Presence of tea body when tasted.
Stylish: Tea leaf is neat and of premium quality.
Tarry: Smoky aroma and taste associated with smoked teas.
Tat: Wire mesh or burlap instrument used to lay out leaves for withering and fermentation.
Tea-Taster: Expert judge of tea leaf and cup quality during all stages of production, brokerage blending and final packaging.
Tea Tree: A tea bush or plant allowed to grow into a tree.
Theanine: Amino acid unique to tea.
Thin: Teas lacking body; usually indicates teas which have been withered and/or inadequately fermented.
Tippy: White or golden-tipped teas, usually indicating high quality.
Tisane: Infused beverage made with plants other than Camellia sinensis.
Twist: Refers to whole leaf teas which have been rolled; indicates careful processing.
Two and a bud: Ideal plucked tea for production; consists of new tea shoot and first two leaves.

V-W

Vintage: Same harvest at market.

White Tea: Fine quality, rare teas; known for their subtle flavor and high antioxidant content.

Wild: Harsh thinness present in tea; undesirable quality usually found in end-of- season teas.

Winey: Aged, mellow teas.

Withering: First step in the production of most teas; process involves allowing fresh leaves to wither for a period of time to reduce moisture content after plucking.

Woody: Unpleasant hay taste found in some black teas.

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