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