Tea tasting is an art, which is derived from using
the 3 main Human senses
Sight -To analyse the appearance of tea
Smell -To analyse the Aroma through the nose
Taste -To analyse the flavour using the palate
Sight -To know what a good Black
Tea should look like. When one looks at the black tea
particles the following will determine the quality of
the tea.
Colour of
particles -Black is desirable
The size
of particles -Well made even
Stalk &
Fibre -Generally unavoidable but should be minimal
Make -Well
made true to grade in volume/weight
Bright -Lively fresh tea
Brisk -The most "Live"
characteristic of a good tea
Burnt -Extreme over-firing
during manufacture
Body -A fullness and strength
Harsh /Raw -Bitter taste
due to underfermentation Strength -Substance in cup
Thick -Liquor with good
colour and strength
Thin -light liquor ·
Taint -Characteristics of taste foreign to tea, such
as Perfume, Oil, Garlic, Mint, etc.
Techniques of
Tea Tasting.
Before considering how to describe
teas, some suggestions on tasting technique will help
to get as much as possible out of tasting.
SNIFF, SLURP AND SPIT
SNIFF: To savour the aroma
SLURP: To extract the flavour
SPIT: To give the next tea
a chance.
One further suggestion
is that sniffing before as well as after the slurp can
offer a more complete picture of a tea's aromatic character.
Sniffing can be done lightly
or vigorously, the two in sequence again giving a fuller
picture.
Slurping involves taking
air into the mouth and chewing the tea around. More
aromas are released -and the tea coats the palate with
its taste and tactile sensation.
Spitting Leaves the mouth
empty except for a Large surface area of palate wet
with tea just right for releasing extra aromas.
Tea is hygroscopic and hence
will pick up any scent or moisture along with the environmental
proper- ties.
By understanding the techniques
of tea tasting, one could be a good judge of a good
quality tea.
POPULAR GRADES
OF TEA
BOP - Broken Orange Pekoe
-Well made, neat leaf of medium size without stalk or
fibre.
BOPF - Broken Orange Pekoe
Fanning -Fairly clean, neat leaf, grainy but smaller
than BOP grade.
OP - Orange Pekoe -Long
well twisted wiry leaf.
PEKOE - Pekoe -Shotty, even,
well made grade.
OPA - Orange Pekoe A -Similar
in size to OP but loosely twisted and inferior to OP
in appearance.
FBOP - Flowery Broken Orange
Pekoe -This Medium leaf and
tippy.
