Tea Glossary

A handy list of some commonly used tea terms.

Aroma
Scent of the infused leaf and actual infusion (liquor). Also called nose or fragrance.

Astringency
A bite or tart character of the infusion comparable to the dryness of wine.

Bakey
Undesirable taste resulting from too high a temperature during firing of the leaf.

Biscuity
Having the subtle taste or flavor of fresh baked bread.

Bite
Astringent or tangy quality of the infusion.

Bitter
Unpleasant tartness which can result from over brewing.

Black
Used to describe a fully fermented leaf; brownish-black in color.

Black tea
Tea in which the leaf has been fully oxidized.

Blended
Teas of different crops, estates or origins that are combined for consistent characteristics.

Body
Weight or strength of the infusion. Full, light, thin, etc.

Bold
Large leaf size.

Brassy
Metallic, tart taste indicating improper withering of the leaf.

Bright
Infusion appearance that is luminous and sparkling.

Brisk
Lively quality of an infusion.

Brown
Brownish leaf appearance resulting from improper treatment of CTC-type teas.

Bud
Top unopened leaf of the tea bush hailed for its sweetness and tenderness.

Burnt
Over-firing of the leaf resulting in an unpleasant taste to the infusion.

Camellia Sinensis
Scientific name of the evergreen shrub that is the actual tea plant. All varieties of tea are derived from this plant.

Character
Desirable flavor quality of tea grown at high altitudes.

Chunky
Large broken leaf.

Clean
Leaf appearance that is without undesirable inclusions such as dust, twigs, fibers, etc.

Coarse
A strong but undesirable harsh taste. Also can describe leaf appearance or an inconsistent plucking.

Colory
Depth of character with regard to taste and appearance.

Common
Lackluster quality of the leaf or infusion.

Complex
A symphonic combination of subtle flavor nuances inherent of the finest teas.

Congou
An orthodox or traditionally made China black tea.

Creaming up
Bubbly residue that occasionally surfaces on some black teas.

CTC (Cut, Tear, Curl)
Description for machine processing of lower quality or commercial grade teas (As opposed to orthodox production. See below.)

Curly
Refers to leaf appearance of of some whole leaf teas.

Down
Fine hair-like fibers found on young high quality leaves and leaf buds.

Dry
Leaf over-firing, but not as extreme as burnt.

Dull
Appearance of the leaf that is without sheen or luster.

Earthy
Describes an elemental character of some teas likened to damp forest soil. A natural trait of tea from certain regions, but can also result from storage in moist conditions.

Even
Uniform appearance and size of the leaf of a particular tea.

Flat
Tea without body or bite. Soft.

Flavor
Distinctive taste found in high-grown, slow growth teas. Not to be confused with teas that have added flavorings.

Flavored
Teas that have added fruits, flowers and natural flavorings.

Flowery
The subtle undertone in some fine teas that is flower-like in character. Good first flush Darjeelings have this quality.

Flush
Harvesting of the tea leaves. First flush is the first plucking of the season, etc.

Fruity
Flavor nuance found in quality teas such as oolongs and Keemuns. Also describes fruit flavored teas.

Green
Under-fermented black or oolong teas; also describes pluckings from immature tea bushes.

Green tea
Un-oxidized tea leaves.

Gungfu
Traditional tea preparation method in southern China of oolong teas involving a particular process to insure maximum enjoyment of the tea.

Hard
Acrid, sharp tasting infusion.

Harsh
Unpleasant, bitter infusion resulting from under withered leaves.

Heavy
A strong and dense infusion with little or no bite.

Herbal
Infusion made by steeping herbs and various plants. Generally does not contain any of the actual tea plant (Camellia Sinensis).

Infusion
The liquor produced from steeping tea leaves.

Leafy
Large or long leaf size.

Lemon/Citrus
Describes teas with a subtle citrus fruit undertone.

Light
Weightless, thin infusion.

Malty
Sought-after flavor undertone found in good hearty Assams.

Mature
Flavor description indicating lack of bitterness or flatness.

Metallic
Copper-like sharpness of the infusion.

Minty
Mint flavor or undertone that is added or a naturally occurring trait.

Monkey-picked
Refers to oolong tea bushes pre-dominantly grown on cliffs that are difficult for humans to access, but home to monkeys. Chinese folklore has cultivated the legend of monkey picked teas.

Muddy
Murky and dull infusion quality.

Muscatel
Rich flavor like that of muscat grapes inherent in the finest Darjeelings.

Mushy
High moisture content due to improper storage or packaging.

Musty
Moldy aroma or taste. (Acceptable in Pu-Erh.)

Neat
Well sized, well made tea.

Nose
Dry leaf aroma.

Nutty
Attribute of some teas such as China greens that suggests the flavor of a mild nut.

Oolong
Tea in which the oxidation process is halted before the leaves are fully fermented.

Orange Pekoe
Term used to describe the larger of the two top leaves of the tea plant used for tea, orange/golden in color.

Orchid-like
Taste nuance frequently found in good oolong teas like that of fresh blooming orchids.

Ordinaire
Predictable, average grade tea acceptable for daily consumption.

Peak
Point when all characteristics of a black tea are fully revealed and experienced during tasting.

Pekoe
Larger of the top two leaves used in tea production. Named from the Chinese word "pa-ko" meaning "white down" for the white downy hairs visible on the fine leaf.

Plain
Clean tasting infusion without any specific traits.

Pointy
A tea with good sought after traits such as bite.

Powdery
Leaf with fine tea dust.

Pungent
Astringency or tartness; bite.

Quality
Describes infusions with desirable traits.

Ragged
Slip-shod, poorly manufactured tea.

Scented
Teas with that have had flower blossoms added, thus imparting fragrance to the leaves.

Self-drinking
A tea that does not need blending for improvement.

Shotty
Refers to a well made, tightly rolled gunpowder variety of green tea.

Single Estate
Tea from one particular tea garden.

Smoky
Taste or aroma of some teas either inherent of produced by drying the leaves in wood or charcoal smoke.

Soft
Quiet flavor with little bite, usually a result of under firing or oxidation.

Spicy
Characteristic that is piquant but without a burning sensation.

Stalk and fiber
Residual plant materials found in lesser grade teas; indicative of poor sorting.

Stewed
Bitterness caused by over brewing.

Strength
Predominant infusion quality.

Taint
Extraneous taste or aroma usually imparted by poor storage and absorbed by the tea leaves.

Tarry
Smoky character acquired through wood or charcoal smoking of the tea leaves.

Thick
Rich infusion with a combination of desirable characteristics.

Thin
Lacking complexity of infusion qualities. Simple.

Tip
The end of the youngest leaf on the tea plant.

Tippy
Having a great amount of the young golden budding leaves, indicating fine plucking.

Toasty
A warm, baked bread, slightly roasted quality.

Vegetal
Delicate taste characteristic found mostly in Japan green tea that is plant-like and sweet.

Well-twisted
Tight rolling of the withered whole tea leaves. Also wirey.

Winey
Mellow character developed by maturing Darjeelings and Keemuns.

Woody
Used to describe thin black teas and the vegetal taste of some green teas.