Tea Tasting Terminology
The grades are described as follows:

B.O.P.
A grade is one of our most sought after. It is much smaller than any of the leaf grades and contains tip. The liquors consist of a good colour and strength.

B.O.P.F.
This grade is also much sought after, especially in real English Tea. Compared to B.O.P it is very much smaller. We find its main virtues are quick brewing coupled with a good colour.

Leaf grades are usually divided into:

Orange Pekoe
(O.P) Long, thin, wiry leaves. A drink that is best pictured as light or pale.

Pekoe (Pek.)
The leaves of this grade are shorter and aren’t as wiry as O.P. We enjoy this as we find a liking for its deeper and darker colour.

Broken grades are divided into:
Broken Orange Pekoe (B.O.P.)
Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings (B.O.P.F.)
Dust (D.)(Taken from "The Book of TEA" - Antony Bugess)

Terms describing the Dry Leaf:

Black: A black appearance is desirable.

Blackish: A satisfactory appearance.

Bold: Particles of the leaf which are too large for the particular grade.

Brown: A brown appearance in teas that normally indicate an overly harsh treatment of the leaf.

Clean: A leaf that is free from fiber, dust and all extraneous matter.

Curly: The leaf appearance of whole leaf grade teas such as O.P. They are distinct from "wiry".

Even: True to the grade, consisting of pieces of leaf of a fairly even size.

Flaky: Flat, open and often light in texture.

Gray: Caused by excessive abrasion during sorting.

Grainy: Describes primary grades of well-made CTC teas such as Pekoe Dust.

Leafy: A tea in which leaves tend to be on a larger or longer side.

Light: A tea, light in weight, poor density. Is sometimes flaky.

Make: Well-made tea, true to its grade.

Musty: A tea affected by mild dew.

Neat: A grade having a good "make" and size.

Powdery: Fine, light dust.

Ragged: An uneven, badly manufactured and graded tea.

Stalk & Fiber: Should be minimal in superior grades, but is generally unavoidable in lower-grade teas.

Tip: A sign of fine plucking, apparent in top grades of orthodox "Low-Grown Type Teas".

Uneven & Mixed: "Uneven" pieces of leaf usually indicative poor sorting and not being true to the particular grade.

Well Twisted: Used for describing whole-leaf grades, often referred to as "well-made" or "rolled".

Wiry: A leaf appearance of a well-twisted, thin-leaf tea.

Terms describing the Infused Leaf:

Aroma: Smell or scent denoting "inherent character," usually in tea grown at high altitudes.

Bright: A lively bright appearance. Usually indicates bright liquors.

Coppery: A bright leaf that indicates a well-manufactured tea.

Dull: Lacks brightness and usually denotes poor tea. Can be a result of faulty manufacture and firing, or a high moisture content.

Dark: A dark or dull colour that usually indicates a poor leaf.

Green: When referring to black tea, it speaks of under-fermentation or leaves that are found on immature bushes (liquors often raw or light).

Can also be caused by poor rolling.

Mixed or Uneven: A leaf of varying colour.

Terms describing Liquors:

Bakey: An over-fired liquor. Tea in which too much moisture has been driven off.

Body: A liquor having both fullness and strength, as opposed to being thin.

Bright: Denotes a lively fresh tea with a good keeping quality.

Brisk: Consists of the most liveliest characteristic. This is due to a good manufacture.

Burnt: Extreme over-firing.

Character - An attractive taste, specific to origin, describing teas grown at high altitudes.

Coarse: Describes a harsh, undesirable liquor.

Coloury: Indicates useful depth of colour and strength.

Cream: A precipitate obtained after cooling.

Dry: Indicates a slight over-firing.

Dull: Unclear, and lacks any brightness or briskness.

Earthy: Normally caused by damp storage, but can also describe a taste that is sometimes "climatically inherent" in teas from certain regions.

Empty: Describes a liquor lacking fullness. Devoid of any substance.

Flat: Not fresh (usually due to age).

Flavour: A most desirable extension of "character," caused by slow growth at high elevations. Relatively rare.

Fruity: Can be due to an over-fermentation and/or bacterial infection before firing. This gives an overripe taste.

Full: A good combination of strength and colour.

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

Green: Iimmature and raw in character. Often due to under fermentation.

Harsh: A taste generally due to an under withered leaf. Extremely rough.

Heavy: A thick, strong and coloury liquor with limited briskness.

High-Fried: Over-fired but not baked or burnt.

Lacking: Describes neutral liquor. No pronounced characteristics.

Light: Lacking strength and depth of colour.

Malty: A full, bright tea with a taste of malt.

Mature: Not bitter or flat.

Metallic: A sharp metallic taste.

Muddy: A dull liquor.

Musty: Suspicion of mold.

Plain: A liquor that is "clean" but lackis desirable characteristics.

Pungent: Astringent with a good combination of briskness, brightness and strength.

Quality: Refers to "cup quality" and denotes a combination of the most desirable liquor qualities.

Raw: A bitter, unpleasant flavour.

Soft: The opposite of briskness. Lacks any lively characteristics. Caused by inefficient fermentation and/or firing.

Strength: Substance in cup.

Taint: It gives a taste that is foreign to tea, such as oil, garlic, etc. Often due to being stored next to other commodities with strong characteristics of their own.

Thick: Liquor with a good colour and strength.

Thin: An insipid light liquor that lacks desirable characteristics.

Sri Lanka
Hot Line: +94 11 4 374 414,
Mobile: +94 77 2 310 831

Address
45/12A Station Road, Kapuwatte, Ja Ela, Sri Lanka.

Email: dishan@emporiumtea.com
Web Site: www.emporiumtea.com

United Kingdom
Tel: + 0789 0664418
Mobile International + 44 740 5187392

Web Site: www.emporiumtea.com
Email: info@idkani.biz | www.idkani.biz