Autumnal - Tea manufactured during autumn is known as autumnal tea. The leaf obtained after final firing in that period is reddish in colour, but with varying degrees of flavour and aroma, for which customer prefers it.
Bakey - This is an undesirable characteristic developed due to high temperatures during drying.

Black - This is a desirable characteristic of tea, which indicates the colour of the particles. The particles are black as opposed to brown, red or green. Black tea can be produced only through fine plucking and careful manufacture.
Bloom - Bloom indicates the outward look of the particles. This characteristic if found when a varnish-like film develops on individual particles during manufacture. This can easily be lost through faulty sorting and breaking.
Bold - When leaf particles are larger than standard size, they are called bold.
Bright - Bright refers to a bright appearance o both liquor and infused leaf, as opposed to a dull look. Brightness indicates that the manufacture is free from bacterial action and has been carried out carefully.
Brisk - A live character of liquor that is not flat or soft.
Brown - This describes the colour of dry leaf. Normally, under-withered leaf gives brown tea. But second flush tea that is brownish in colour is valuable.
Burnt - Like all things, tea subjected to extreme high temperatures gets burnt. Obviously, an undesirable characteristic.
Chesty - A undesirable resinous smell in both dry leaf and liquor that develops from inferior quality packing chests.
Clean - A clean and uniform classified tea should be free from stalk and fibre.
Coarse - when the liquor is harsh, it is classified as a coarse tea. This feature is not desirable and is probably developed through coarse plucking.
Cream - This hot water soluble combination of condensation compounds and caffeine separates out as a ‘cream’ on cooling. A bright cream indicates good quality tea whereas dull or muddy cream is indicative inferior liquor.
Dull – The term ‘dull’ is used to describe infused leaf, liquor and the appearance of made tea. When the colour of the infused liquor or the made tea is dull, it is considered to be poor tea. dullness is infused leaf and liquor develops from over-fermentation or bacterial infection. Dullness in made tea is mainly due to faulty sorting procedures.
Even - The term ‘even’ describe the condition of the infused leaf. It is usually combined with ‘bright’ or ‘coppery’ as qualifying adjectives.

To be continued….

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