Glossary of Tea Tasting Terms

By Cindy-Lou Dale

Bloom: a sign of good manufacture; a sheen that has not been lost

Brown: an appearance in CTC-type teas indicating harsh treatment

Chesty: a taint created by inferior or unseasoned packing material

Crepy: a crimped leaf feature common to BOP teas

Curly: the appearance of whole leaf teas such as OP

Grainy: describes primary grades of CTC teas

Leafy: tea in which size of the leaves tend to be lsrge or long

Mushy: tea that has been packed with high moisture content

Musty: tea affected by mildew

Neat: a grade having good make and size

Ragged: an uneven, badly manufactured tea

Stalk: and fibre should be minimal in superior grades

Tip: a sign of fine plucking apparent in top grades

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

Cindy-Lou Dale is a writer, journalist, photographer.  www.cindyloudale.com

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