Tea Terminology

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Agony of the leaves:

expression describing the unfurling of rolled or twisted leaves during   steeping

Anhui:

one of the major black tea producing regions in China

Aroma:

fragran flavor of brewed leaf, consisting of the essential oils of tea

Assam:

Tea grown in the state of Assam, in India. These (generally black) teas   are known for their strong, deep red infusions.

Astringency:

the drying sensation in the mouth caused by teas high in unoxidized   polyphenols.

Autumnal:

tea produced late in the growing season

Bakey:

tea taster expression for overfired teas

Bergamot:

essential oil of the bergamot orange used to flavor a black tea base to   make Earl Grey tea

Billy:

Australian term referring to tin pot with wire handle to suspend over an   open fire in which tea is boiled

Biscuity:

tea taster's expression, often used with Assam teas that have been fired   well but not overly so

Black:

the most common form of tea worldwide. prepared from green tea leaves   which have been allowed to oxidize, or ferment, to form a reddish brew.

Blend:

mixture of teas, usually to promote consistency between growing seasons

Bloom:

tea taster's term to describe sheen or lustre present to finished leaf

Body:

tea taster's term to denote a full strength brew

Bold:

large leaf cut tea

Brassy:

unpleasant acidic bite from improperly withered tea

Break:

auction term referring to a lot for sale, usually 18 chests or more.

Brick tea:

tea leaves that have been steamed and compressed into bricks. Tea is   typically shaved and boiled with butter and salt to make a soup

Bright:

denotes a bright red brew or light leaf, as opposed to a dull brown or   black color.

Brisk:

a tea high in astringency. Also a trademarked characteristic of Lipton   tea.

Broken:

smaller leaf style usually created during manufacture by passing the   leaf through a cutter

Caffeine:

stimulating compound present in tea

Cambric tea:

a very weak tea infusion in an excess of milk and sugar

Catechins:

class of polyphenol present in high concentrations in green tea, but   found in varying levels in other teas derived from the teaplant

Ceylon:

Teas made in Sri Lanka

Cha:

tea. Romanized spelling of Chinese and Japanese character referring to   tea.

Chai:

tea. Often refers to masala chai, or spiced tea, a strong black tea   infused with milk, sugar, and spices.

Chest:

classical tea package, usually made of wood and aluminum-lines, used to   ship tea from plantation

Chesty:

tea taster's term signifying off odor in tea from the wood in the tea   chest

Chunmee:

a grade of Chinese tea with a curled shape.

Congou:

a general name for Chinese black tea, derived from gongfu.

Coppery:

bright infusion of good quality black tea

CTC:

stands for Crush, Tear, and Curl, a machine-based process which   macerates the leaves by pressing through counter-rotating rollers to create a   stronger, more coloury tea.

Darjeeling:

Tea grown in the Darjeeling region, a mountainous area around the   Himalayas, of India. These (generally black) teas are well known for their   crisp astringency.

Dhool:

refers to the tea leaf during fermentation, noted for its coppery color.

Dust:

the smallest grade of tea, this is typically associated with lower   quality, but is prized for its quick extraction and is commonly used in   teabags.

Earl grey:

Black tea that is scented with the essential oil of bergamot, a citrus.

Fannings:

small, grainy particles of leaf sifted out of better grade teas

Fermentation:

used in the process of preparing black and oolong tea, this step   involves allowing the natural browning enzymes present in tea leaf to oxidize   fresh green tea leaves and to impart the darker brown-red color and   characteristic aroma.

Fibrous:

Teas which contain a large percentage of fannings

Firing:

the process of rapidly heating the leaf, either with hot air or in a   wok, to quickly halt fermentation and dry the leaf to its final product.

Flat:

Teas lacking astringency or briskness

Flowery:

used in grading the size of tea, it typically indicates a leaf style   with more of the lighter colored tips.

Flush:

the freshly-picked tea leaves, typically comprising the bud and first   two leaves of the growing tea shoot.

Formosa:

tea produced in Taiwan, typically oolong teas

Full:

strong tea without bitterness and posessing good color

Genmaicha:

green tea with toasted rice

Golden:

denoting the orange colored tip present in high quality black tea

Gong fu:

meaning performed with care, this typically refers to a style of brewing   with many repeated short infusions.

Gongfu:

meaning performed with care, this typically refers to a style of brewing   with many repeated short infusions of leaf in a miniature pot.

Grainy:

Term used to describe high quality CTC teas

Green:

unfermented, dried tea, more commonly found in China and Japan.

Gunpowder:

a green tea which is rolled into pellets which unfurl in hot water.

Gyokuro:

Japanese green tea produced from shaded plants. "Pearl Dew"

Hard:

pungent tea, desired in some Assam teas

Harsh:

bitter teas

Heavy:

a thick, colory infusion with little briskness or astringency

Hyson:

chinese green teas. Brand of tea in common usage during 18th century.   "flourishing spring".

Jasmine:

black tea scented with jasmine flowers, typically made with green   Pouchong tea as the base

Keemun:

black tea from central China, typically hand rolled and fired.

Lapsang souchong:

A Chinese black tea which is fired (dried) over a smoky (pine wood) fire   to impart its characteristic smoky flavor.

Light:

liquor lacking body or thickness

Malty:

slightly over-fired tea, sometimes desirable

Metallic:

tea taster's term to denote coppery taste of some teas

Muddy:

tea taster's term to denote a dull, blackish color of the infusion

Nose:

the aroma of the tea

Oolong:

A form of tea characterized by lighter brews and larger leaf styles.   This tea is typically understood as a lightly fermented tea, between green   and black tea on a continuum.

Orange pekoe:

Referring to size of leaf, not quality or flavor, this term indicates a   larger-size grade of whole leaf teas.

Orthodox:

prepared using a technique which leads to larger leaf styles mirroring   hand-produced teas.

Pan fired:

tea that is steamed and then agitated in an iron wok over a fire

Pekoe:

derived from baihao, the white hairs of the new buds on the   tea shrub, this term currently refers to the smaller-size grade of whole leaf   teas.

Plain:

tea taster's term to denote dull liquor with sour taste

Plucking:

the process of harvesting the tea by cutting the flush from the growing   tea shrub.

Polyphenols:

astringent compounds present in tea

Puerh:

a type of tea most notably from the Yunnan province of China. Damp green   tea that has been fermented microbiologically to a black leaf.

Pungent:

tea taster's term to denote a very astringent tea

Rawness:

bitter taste

Rolling:

the process of crushing the leaves to initiate fermentation and impart   twist.

Self drinking:

rounded, well bodied tea that can be served unblended

Smoky:

tea taster's term for teas that have been fired over smoky flames,   imparting a smoky flavor

Soft:

tea taster's term for underfermented teas

Souchong:

Term for large leaf teas derived from the third and fourth leaf of the   tea shoot

Stalk:

describes teas with presence of red stalk pieces from a hard plucking

Tannin:

erroneous term referring to the astringent polyphenols of tea, unrelated   to tannic acid polyphenols of other plants

Tarry:

tea taster's term for teas that have been fired over smoky flames,   imparting a smoky flavor

Tat:

shelf made of wire mesh or burlap used to spread the leaves out for   withering and fermentation

Tea:

Theaflavins:

orange red potyphenols unique to fermented teas such as black tea, and   formed from the condensation of two catechins

Theanine:

unique amino acid in tea.

Theine:

synonym for caffeine

Ti kuan yin:

"Iron Goddessof Mercy"- a distinctive type of oolong tea   typically longer-fermented and possessing a darker-colored but fragrant brew

Tippy:

Teas with white or golden tips, indicating high quality

Tisane:

Teas produced from the leaves of plants other than the tea plant, herbal   tea.

Tuocha:

bowl tea. A form of brick tea comprised of pu-erh tea pressed into a   bowl shaped cake.

Twist:

Before fermentation, the leaves need to be crushed to initiate   oxidation. This imparts the curled appearance of the finished leaf.

Two leaves and a bud:

the ideal plucked tea for production, consisting of the new tea shoot   and the first two leaves

White:

a special type of green tea. Distinguished by the presence of the white   hairs of the tea flush (baihao) and a lighter green, almost clear, infusion.

Winey:

mellow quality, characteristic of some Keemun teas which have been given   time to age

Withering:

the first step in production of most teas. Involves letting the fresh   leaves wither for some period of time after plucking to reduce moisture   content.

Woody:

tea taster's term indicating an undesirable grass or hay flavor in black   tea

Yixing:

pronounced ee-hsing, this region in China is noted for its purple clay,   used to produce distinctive unglazed teapots.

Yunnan:

Tea grown in the Yunnan province, in the southwest of China. These black   teas are known for their spicy character. This region also produces Pu-Erh   tea.