• From the Taster’s Room

  Filed under Indian Tea, Tea, Tea Taster
  Sep 27

  These are some of the nomenclature used in tea tasting rooms. Trust me, there is a huge complexity involved in the process but these jargons are most important amongst other variants in differentiating the good teas from the rest.

  Attractive: Well-made, uniform in color and size.

  Black: Describing color of dry-leaf, a desirable characteristic for Orthodox teas.

  Bloom: A live, rather than dull-looking tea. Bloom is often lost by over-handling/curing, during sorting.

  Bold: Pieces of leaf that are too big for a grade.

  Brown: Undesirable leaf color both for Orthodox and CTC (cut, tear and curl).

  Chesty: Taint caused by unseasoned tea chest panels.

  Chunky: Usually applied to large-sized tip. Desirable.

  Clean: Free of stalk/fibre.

  Cut: Orthodox leaf cut in the breaker rather than in the roller.

  Even: Grade consisting of roughly equal-sized pieces.
  
  Flaky: A flat, open leaf as opposed to a well-twisted leaf. Usually the result of poor withering/rolling.

  Golden Tip: Highly desirable feature in Orthodox teas. Obtained by good withering and rolling.

  Grainy: Well-made hard leaf.

  Grey: Most undesirable color of dry-leaf caused by faulty handling, over sorting.

  Gritty: CTC leaf that feels hard to the touch.

  
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