agony of the leaves: the unwinding of twisted leaves during steeping
anhui: a major black tea producing region in China
aroma: fragrance of brewed leaves. Tea contains about 300 components many of which have desirable aromas
assam: tea grown in Assam, India. These teas are known for their 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: overfired teas
banking: retention on the drained leaves of considerable liquor which may only be squeezed out
basket-fired: japanese tea that has been cured in baskets by drying
bergamot: essential oil of the bergamot orange used to make Earl Grey tea
billy: Australian tea pot
biscuity:teas that have been fired well
bitter:An unpleasant taste associated with raw teas
black: tea that has been dried after the fermentation period
blend: mixture of teas, usually to promote consistency between growing seasons
blistered: leaf which is swollen and hollow inside. Blisters are formed during the firing of leaf which has been dried too quickly
bloom: sheen or lustre present to finished leaf
body:full strength brew
bold: large leaf cut tea
brassy: unpleasant acidic bite from improperly withered tea
brick tea: tea leaves that have been steamed and compressed into bricks
bright: sparkling clear liquor. Denotes a good tea which has life as opposed to a dull looking leaf or liquor.
brisk: a tea high in astringency
broken: smaller leaf style
brownish: leaf which is brown in colour rather than black
burnt: an unpleasent taste of burnt organic matter in the liquor and a similar smell in the infused leaf
caddy: tin or jar of tea
caffeine: stimulating compound present in tea
cambric: a very weak tea infusion in an excess of milk and sugar
camellia sinensis: botanical name given to the tea bush
catechins: class of polyphenol present in high concentrations in green tea
catty: one pound of tea
ceylon: teas made in Sri Lanka
chai: strong black tea infused with milk, sugar, and spices
chanoyu: japanese tea ceremony or ritual
character: attractive taste, specific to growth origin describing teas grown at high altitude
chesty: off odor in tea from the wood in the tea chest
choppy: leaf chopped after processing in the breaker or cutter rather than in the roller
chunky: broken types that are too large in size
chunmee: grade of Chinese tea with a curled shape
clean: leaf that is free from fiber, dirt and all extraneous matter
cloning: cuttings taken from old tea bushes which are allowed to root and then are planted to produce new tea bushes. Many
tea bushes are grown from clones or cuttings taken from older bushes
common: plain light and thin liquor with no distinct favor
congou: general name for Chinese black tea
coppery: bright infusion of good quality black tea
course: tea liquor with undesirable characteristics resulting from coarse plucked leaf or irregular firing
creepy: the principle term used to describe tea which is crimped in appearance
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
curly: whole leaf grades
darjeeling: tea grown in the Darjeeling region, a mountainous area around the Himalayas, of India. generally black teas known for their crisp astringency
dark: colour of liquor denoting a poor tea
denaturalised: tea which has been deemed unfit for consumption
dhool: tea leaf during fermentation, noted for its coppery color
dry: slight over-firing or drying during manufacture
dull: tea liquor that is not clear and bright
dust: the smallest grade of tea, typically associated with lower quality, prized for its quick extraction and commonly used in teabags
earl grey: black tea scented with essential oil of bergamot citrus
earthy: unpleasent liquor taste found in tea stored under damp conditions
empty: liquor lacking fullness. No substance
english breakfast: blends of black teas producing a full-bodied strong flavored colorful tea regardless of origin
even: tea leaf which is true to its grade
fannings: small, grainy particles of leaf sifted out of better grade teas
fermentation: used in the process of preparing black and oolong tea, involves allowing the natural browning enzymes present in a tea leaf to oxidize and impart the darker brown-red color and aroma
fibrous: teas which contain a large percentage of fannings
firing: the process of rapidly heating the leaf to quickly halt fermentation and dry the leaf to its final product
flaky: flat open pieces of leaf often light in texture
flat: teas lacking astringency or briskness
flowery: used in grading the size of tea, typically indicates a leaf style with lighter colored tips
flush: freshly-picked tea leaves, typically comprising the bud and first two leaves of the growing tea shoot
formosa: tea produced in Taiwan
fruity: can be due to overfermenting during manufacture and/or bacterial infection before firing or drying, which gives the tea an over ripe taste
full: strong tea without bitterness and posessing good color
gaiwan: traditional Chinese lidded tea drinking vessel with accompanying saucer
garden: an estate unit
garden mark: mark put on tea chest by the estate to identify its particular product
golden: orange colored tip present in high quality black tea
gone off: tea that is moulded, tainted, out of condition or old
gong fu: a style of brewing with many repeated short infusions
grade: used to describe a tea leaf or particle size of leaf
grainy: high quality CTC teas
green: unfermented, dried tea
grey: unattractive colour characteristic of black leaf that has undergone too much rubbing during sorting and cutting
gunpowder: green tea which is rolled into pellets which unfurl in hot water
gyokuro: Japanese green tea produced from shaded plants
hard: pungent tea
harsh: bitter tea
heavy: a thick, colory infusion with little briskness or astringency
herbal: mixtures of herbs and do not contain any tea leaves
high: over dried, but not bakey or burned
hyson: chinese green teas
ichiban-cha: first tea or first plucking
imperial: type of rolled Ceylon, black tea
infusion: process of extracting elements from tea, herbs, fruits or berries by submersing in boiling water
jasmine: black tea scented with jasmine flowers
jat: type of tea bush normally applied to its origin.
keemun: black tea from central China, hand rolled and fired
lacking: a neutral liquor with no body or pronounced characteristics
lapsang souchong: Chinese black tea which is dried over a smoky fire
leafy: whole leaves found in broken grades
lie: chinese mixture of willow and other spurious leaf with genuine tea leaf, fraudulently sold as tea
liquor: liquid that results from infusing the leaves with hot water
light: liquor lacking body or thickness
make: tea manufacture, a well-made tea or not true to its grade
malty: slightly over-fired tea
match: powdered green tea from Japan used in the Japanese tea ceremony
mature: no flatness or rawness in the liquor
metallic: coppery taste
mixed: uneven Leaf of varying color
muddy: dull, blackish color of the infusion
muscatel: a grape taste
mushy: a soft tea that has been packed too moist
musty: Tea that has been attacked by mildew
neat: grade of tea having good make and size
new: tea which has not had time to mature. Usually denotes some rawness in the infusion which may disappear when the tea is kept
nilgiri: district in the hills of southern India that produces black teas
nose: aroma of the tea
nuwarah eliyah: ceylon tea, high mountain grown at altitudes above 4000 ft sea level
oolong: A form of tea characterized by lighter brews and larger leaf styles. lightly fermented tea, between green and black tea on a continuum
orange pekoe: size of leaf, not quality or flavor, 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
pekoe: derived from baihao, the white hairs of the new buds on the tea shrub,the smaller-size grade of whole leaf teas
plain: dull liquor with sour taste
plucking: harvesting the tea by cutting the flush from the growing tea shrub
point: attractive brightness and acidity of liquor
polyphenols: astringent compounds present in tea
pouchong: scented Chinese or Formosan tea derived from the Cantonese method of packing tea in smaller paper
powdery: fine light dust meaning a very fine light leaf particle
pruning: selectively cutting back of the tea brush, so that it maintains its shape and help increase yield
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
pungent: very astringent tea
ragged: uneven leaf in a grade
rasping: very coarse and harsh liquor
rawness: bitter taste
rolling: crushing the leaves to initiate fermentation and impart twist
rooibos: harvested in the wilds of South Africa
sappy: fully juicy liquor
scented: green semi fermented or black teas that have been flavored by adding flower petals, fruits spices and/or natural oils
self drinking: rounded, well bodied tea that can be served unblended
semi fermented: partially oxidized before being fired and dried
sencha: popular variety of green tea in Japan
silver tip: visible buds in the made tea, coloured silver
smoky: teas that have been fired over smoky flames
soft: underfermented teas
souchong:large leaf teas derived from the third and fourth leaf of the tea shoot
stalk: teas with presence of red stalk pieces from a hard plucking
stewed: soft liquor with undesirable taste that lacks point
strength: thick liquor, pungent and brisk
sweaty: disagreeable taste
sweet: light characteristics in a liquor
tannin: erroneous term referring to the astringent polyphenols of tea
tarry: teas that have been fired over smoky flames
tea: tender leaves, and bud of the plant Camellia Sinesis, prepared and cured by recognised methods of manufacture
tea tree: tea bush or plant which has been allowed to return to its wild state and grow back into a tree
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: caffeine
thick: liquor with good color and strength
thin: insipid light liquor that lacks desirable characteristics
ti kuan yin: distinctive type of oolong tea typically longer-fermented and possessing a darker-colored
tip: ends of leaves on a tea bush
tippy: teas with white or golden tips, indicating high quality tisane
tisane: herbal tea
tuocha: 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
uneven: tea leaf composed of irregular shaped pieces indicating bad sorting
weak: a thin liquor. Often due to over withering or under fermenting
weedy: A grass taste associated with teas that have been under withered during manufacture
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. White teas are known for their high antioxidant content and subtle flavor.
winey: mellow quality, characteristic of some teas which have been given time to age
wiry: well twisted, thin leaf
withering: letting the fresh leaves wither after plucking to reduce moisture content. The operation which removes moisture from the recently plucked leaves making them less brittle and preparing them for further processing.
woody: undesirable grass flavor in black tea
yunnan: black teas are known for their spicy character