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Welcome
to Tea and Roses!
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"Meanwhile, let us have a sip of tea. The afternoon glow is
brightening the bamboos, the fountains are bubbling
with delight, the soughing of the pines is heard in
our kettle. Let us dream of evanescence, and linger
in the beautiful foolishness of things."
Okakura Kakuzo The Book of Tea
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Tea
tasting opens the door to our senses. With hundreds of tea
varieties to choose from, discovering your favorites will take you
on a journey where the complexities of flavor, aroma and color
seem endless. The more tea you taste, the more you will learn to
appreciate the nuances between tea types.
Eventually, you will probably decide
to keep notes about each tea you taste...Tea-and-Roses™
makes it easy for you by providing you with a printable page from
our TnR TEA TASTING JOURNAL©.
Just click on this link:
&
and you can begin your very own Tea Tasting Journal.
If you
prefer, a printed and bound copy of TnR's Tea Tasting Journal© is available for
purchase in our Gift Shop. The printed and bound copy includes sections on:
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?Steps
on how to taste tea |
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?Types
of teas |
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?Descriptions
of different tea types |
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?Tea
tasting terminology |
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?A
detailed tea tasting glossary |
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?Twenty
'Tea Tasting' pages |
A
specific methodology is employed in tasting tea ('cupping') and an entire
language exists for describing a tea’s characteristics. Below we
provide some suggestions on how you can
get started, a brief tasting guide
and a list of the more commonly used terms
by the tea taster. More extensive information can be found in the
hard copy of the Tea Tasting Journal© available through our
Gift Shop. |
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Getting Started
▪ A good way to start tea tasting is to line up your favorite teas in
different categories and start comparing
▪ As you begin your tasting adventure, note how the flavors may differ
depending upon origin, soil type, style of tea and steeping time. Like
wine, differences in taste can be attributed to location, climate and
how the tea is processed
▪ Try focusing first on the basic differences between blacks, oolongs,
greens and white teas
▪ As you become more familiar, challenge yourself by tasting more
similar teas. Soon you will come to understand what key elements you
desire in a tea
▪ Remember to always have fun and that tasting remains subjective.
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Tea-and-Roses Quarterly
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Today!
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A Tasting
Guide – The Elements of Leaf, Aroma, Liquor and Flavor
Traditional tea tasting focuses on the appearance of the leaf, the
aroma both before and after steeping, the color of the resulting
infusion or liquor and the tea’s taste or flavor:
▪ Leaf: Examining the leaf is telling. Is it twisted,
rolled or a natural, flat leaf? This and whether it’s broken or
whole will affect the taste and body
▪ Aroma: Smell the leaves before steeping. Do they smell
grassy, smokey or sweet? Once infused, inhale the aroma deeply and
enjoy the bouqet. Does the smell appeal to you and whet your taste
buds for sipping? Is it citrusy, flowery, toasty or fruity? A
tea’s nose can reveal not only quality but subtle flavors that the
mouth might overlook
▪ Liquor: The color of infused tea or liquor can vary in
color. Look at the consistency of its color, and appearance of the
liquid in a white cup. Depth of color will denote proper brewing
time
▪ Taste: After slightly cooling, slurp your tea to make
sure the full flavor spreads out all over your tongue. Does the
tea make a strong impression? Assess whether it has a full, medium
or light or round body. Is it smooth? Does the flavor leave a
lasting and memorable finish or dissipate after swallowing? Note
elements of its flavor traits – is it malty or vegetal? How the
tea feels in your mouth is important too. High quality tea
exhibits briskness. Instead of flat tasting, briskness refers to
the astringent or dry tasting affect tea has on tongue. This
astringency is an important aspect to tea, giving it a refreshing
feeling. |
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Tea Tasting Glossary
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▪
Astringency: A lively and mouth drying
affect on the tongue. Not bitter, but a clean
and refreshing quality |
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▪ Balance:
Various characteristics of the tea, including
body, flavor and finish all come together to
perfect the cup |
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▪ Biscuity: A
freshly-baked bread smell present in some black
tea like Assam |
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▪ Body: The
tactile aspect of tea’s weight and feeling in
the mouth. Teas range from full to light bodied |
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▪ Bright: A
bright liquor color or a lively, clear flavor |
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▪ Brisk: The
mouth-puckering and lively bite found in high
quality tea versus dullness |
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▪ Character: A
tea’s signature attributes depending upon origin
whether its country or region |
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▪ Citrusy: A
citrus fruit flavor like an orange or lemon |
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▪ Complex: A
tea with depth and subtle flavor or aroma
combinations |
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▪ Finish: The
lasting taste on your tongue after swallowing
the tea |
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▪ Fruity: A
flavor characteristic of fruit, whether it be
apple, peaches or Muscat |
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▪ Flat: Dull
tea lacking freshness |
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▪ Flowery: A
floral nose or flavor associated with high grade
teas |
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▪ Malty: A
sweet, malt flavor |
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▪ Muscat: Often
used to describe high quality Darjeelings – the
aromas and flavors of the Muscat grape |
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▪ Pungent:
Astringent with balanced elements of briskness,
brightness and strength |
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Self-drinking: Refers to tea with complex flavor
profile that does not need additional flavoring
such as milk or sugar |
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▪ Smooth: Round
bodied, fine drinking teas |
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▪ Strength:
Refers to the intensity of flavor, color and
aroma |
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▪ Smoky: A
smoky wood aroma or flavor |
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▪ Toasty: A
toasted biscuit like aroma |
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▪ Vegetal: A
characteristic of green teas that might include
grassy, herby or marine flavors. |
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Tea
Tasting Journal©
(printed and bound)
$17.95 (plus Shipping & Handling) |
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Tea Tasting Equipment
One of the key elements of professional “cupping” is
consistency. This means using the proper equipment to
measure water temperature, amount of tea and time of
brewing. Tea-and-Roses™ brings these items together for
you in one place and makes them easily available for
purchase by the new or experienced ‘Tea Taster’
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To the top of the page |
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 Wouldn't
you like a mug, totebag, or tea-shirt with
the beautiful Tea-and-Roses logo on it?
Introducing
Tea-and-Roses Logo Gear!
The
perfect gift for your favorite tea and
roses lover -- maybe that's you?
Visit
our Logo Shop now! |
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Music on this page:
WinterSonata |
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Copyright © 1999-2006Tea-and-Roses/DLD Consulting,
Inc. All rights reserved.
For reprint information
contact the webmaster.
Web site designed by
The Cat-Tea Corner©
Wed site
maintained by
Tea-and-Roses™.
Last Update:08/13/2009 |
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