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General Terms
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A
Afternoon Tea
The name
given to the British meal taken mid-afternoon, comprising finger
sandwiches, scones cakes and pastries accompanied by tea. The 7th Duchess
of Bedford is reputed to have given birth to afternoon tea, early in the
19th century, when she decided to take tea to stave off the pangs of
hunger she suffered between lunch and dinner.
Assam
A
region in northeastern India, known for its robust, high quality teas
characterized by their smooth round, malty flavor.
Auction
Sale
of tea in an auction room on a stipulated date at a specific time. Tea
auctions are held in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Kenya and Malawi- these
auctions only sell teas from their particular areas. The London Tea
Auction, which was held every Monday morning (barring public or bank
holidays) in the City of London until it's close in 1998 was the only true
international tea auction, where teas from all over the world were sold.
Autumnal
Teas harvested in autumn and touched with cool
weather. The term is normally applied to teas from India and Formosa.
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B
Ball tea
China
tea compressed in a ball to protect it against atmospheric changes.
Basket-fired
Japan tea that has been cured in baskets by firing or drying.
Billy
tea
Tea made by Australian bushmen in billy cans.
Bitter
tea
Tea brewing method used in Cashmere. Tea is boiled in a tinned
copper vessel, red potash, aniseed and salt are added before it is served
from a brass or copper, tinlined teapot.
Black
tea
Tea that has been fired or dried after the fermentation or
oxidization period of manufacture.
Blend
Tea
taster who decides on the proportions of each different tea required to
produce the flavor of a given blend.
Break
An
amount of tea, comprising a given number of chests or sacks of tea.
Brick
tea
Common grades of China and Japan tea mixed with stalk and dust
and molded into bricks under high pressure. Originally, these bricks were
used by Asian travelers as a convenient way of carrying the tea they
needed to drink and the bricks were also used to barter for other goods.
Broker
A tea
taster who negotiates the selling of tea from producers, or the buying of
tea for packers and dealers, for a brokerage fee from the party on whose
behalf the broker is working.
Butter
tea
Boiled tea mixed with salt and soda, then strained into an urn
containing butter and dried ground cereal (often barley) and churned.
Butter tea is served in a basin and often a lump of butter is added when
serving. It was served in Tibet and then in India.
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C
Caddy
The name
given to a tin or jar of tea, which takes its name from the Chinese or
Malayan word 'catty'- a term used to describe the weight of one pound of
tea. In the past tea caddies were equipped with a lock and key.
Camellia
sinensis
Today, the tea trade's international botanical name for
the tea plant.
Caravan
tea
Tea taken by camel from China to Russia in the past.
Ceylon
Blends of teas grown on the island of Sri Lanka,
takes their name from the colonial name for the island. The traditional
name of Sri Lanka was readopted by the island when it became a Sovereign
Republic in the Commonwealth in 1972.
Cha
The word
for tea derived from the Chinese and Indian languages.
Chanoyu
Japanese tea ceremony or party.
Chest
Original tea package, normally made of wood and
lined with metal foil. Originally tea chests were lined with lead.
Chop
From
the Indian chapna meaning to stamp a number, mark or brand. Each break of
chop of tea is marked. Synonymous with invoice.
Chunmee
Green China tea, said to resemble the shape of human eyebrows.
Cloning
Cuttings taken from old tea bushes to produce new tea bushes.
Today most tea bushes are grown from clones or cuttings taken from older
bushes.
Collection
Once a plucker has filled a basket or sack with tea leaf, it is
taken to a collection point where it is checked and weighed before being
taken to the factory for making.
Congou
A
general term used to describe all black China teas regardless of the area
in which they are grown and made.
Country
Greens
A term originally used to describe China green teas, other
than Hoochows or Pingsueys.
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D
Darjeeling
A
tea growing area in North India on the foothills of the Himalaya
Mountains. Teas grown here take their name from the area and are said to
be the 'Champagne' of Indian teas. Grown at altitudes up to 7,000ft above
sea level ( more than 1,291m) Darjeeling tea is known as a high-grown tea
and is light in coloring with a delicate, muscatel flavor and aroma. The
original tea planted in this area was grown from seeds and plants imported
from China.
Darrang
Tea
growing district in Assam, North India.
Dehru Dun
A
tea growing area in the Uttar Pradesh State, Northwest India. Some 30
estates (most of them under 50 hectares) produce green and orthodox black
leaf tea.
Dibrugarh
One of the seven tea growing districts in Assam. Dickoya Tea
growing district on the central massif in Sri Lanka. Teas from this area
are known as high grown teas and have a full astringent flavor.
Dimbula
Tea
growing district just above Dickoya, which gives its name to a blend of
Ceylon teas from this area and is also used in Ceylon blends. Dimbula teas
are black and characterized by their full-bodied flavor.
Dooars
A
tea growing region of North India just below the Himalaya Mountains which
produce full-bodied colorful teas that are ideal for blending purposes.
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E
Earl Grey
A
black China tea treated with the oil of bergamot which gives the tea a
scented aroma and taste. It was said to have been blended for and named
after the 2nd Earl Grey when he was prime minister of Britain by a Chinese
mandarin after the success of a British diplomatic mission to China.
English Breakfast
tea
A name for the tea blend which originally applied to China
Congou tea in the United States of America. In Britain it was a name
applied to a blend of teas from India and Sri Lanka. Today it is used to
include blends of black teas producing a full-bodied strong flavored
colorful tea.
Estate
A
tea growing property or holding that may include more than one garden
under the same management or ownership. In the past tea estates where
known as plantations.
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F
Formosa
An
island off the Chinese coast formally known as Taiwan which produces
Oolong, Pouchong and black teas made by the Orthodox method.
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G
Garden
The name
originally given to tea growing plantations or estates. The Japanese
cultivated tea gardens within their temples and palace grounds and had
copied this idea from the Chinese. Today, the term estate has tended to
replace the word garden but teas grown on such tend to identify fine
harvests produced solely from that estate - hence a single estate tea. Tea
garden was also used to describe London pleasure gardens in England mainly
during the 18th century where tea was served to both sexes.
Government
Standards
Applies to teas being imported into the United States of
America which comply with the standards of purity, quality and fitness for
consumption as defined by the tea examiners under the Food act. Drug
Administration of the USA Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
Grade
Term
used to describe a tea leaf or particle size of leaf. Green Tea that is
withered, immediately steamed or heated to kill the enzymes and then
rolled and dried. It has a light appearance and flavor.
Gunpowder
Normally a China tea, but today could be any young tea, which is
rolled into a small pellet-size ball then dried. The finished tea has a
grayish appearance not unlike gunpowder in color. That is how the tea gets
its name.
Gyokuro
A
high-grade Japanese tea produced by a special process in the Uji district
of Japan. It is made from tea grown on shaded bushes.
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H
Handkerchief
Tea
A tea which was grown on Formosa and which gets its name from
the large silk handkerchiefs that Chinese tea growers used to use to
collect their very fine tippy teas.
Herbal
Infusion
"Herbal infusions" or "herbal teas" contain no true tea
leaves, but are created from an international collection of herbs and
spices such as Moroccan rosebuds, Oregon mint, Egyptian Chamomile,
cinnamon from Indonesia, tropical hibiscus, fruit pieces and more. These
all-natural botanical ingredients are combined to create exciting flavors
and aromas in a rainbow of colors from pale yellow to deep red.
High Tea
The
name given to a meal served late afternoon-early evening, a combination of
afternoon tea and dinner. The meal comprises a main entree dish sometimes
a pudding or dessert served with bread and butter, cakes and tea. High tea
was the main meal for farming and working classes in Britain in the
past.
Hoochow
A
China green tea.
Hunan
One of
the tea growing provinces of China.
Hyson
A
type of China green tea formerly drunk exclusively in Europe and often the
name given there to the tea drink. Young Hyson is this type of tea that is
plucked early.
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I
Indonesia
Producer of teas which are bright and brisk.
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J
Jat
Type of tea
bush normally applied to its origin. For example a tea comes from the
China or Indian jat. This means that the tea bushes originated either from
seeds or cuttings from China tea plants or from the indigenous Indian tea
found in Assam.
Java
A tea
producing island of Indonesia.
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K
Kandy
A Ceylon
tea, medium grown at altitudes between 2,000ft and 4,000ft above sea
level. Teas from Kandy are also used for blending purposes.
Kangra
Valley in Himachal Pradesh, North-West India where tea is grown on
some 1,200 small holdings each just a few hectares in size. Green tea
production predominates.
Keemun
A
fine grade of black-leaf China Congou tea produced in the Anhui province.
Kenya
An
East Africa tea producing country, which produces some of the finest black
teas from the African continent. Kenya teas are used for blending purposes
as well as being sold as a specialty tea in its own right. It is a bright
coppery tea with a pleasantly brisk flavor.
Kericho
The
home of the state-owned Kenya Tea Packing Factory from which the internal
market is supplied.
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L
Lakhimpur
A tea
growing district in Assam, North India.
Lapsang Souchong
A black tea from China, and today Formosa, that is smoked. It has
a smoky tarry flavor and aroma.
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M
Malawi
African
tea producer whose teas are mainly used for blending purposes, as they are
colorful with good flavor.
Matcha
Powdered green tea from Japan used in the tea ceremony.
Meat tea
Another term for high tea. Natural leaf Whole-leaf green tea from
Japan similar to pan-fried but with less rolling also known as
'porcelain-fired' tea.
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N
Nilgiri
South
Indian tea growing district, which produces black tea.
Nowgong
One
of the seven tea producing districts in Assam.
Nuwarah Eliyah
A Ceylon tea, grown high at altitudes of4,000+ft above sea level.
The tea is light with a full citrus flavor.
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O
Oolong
A
semi-fermented or semi-green tea produced in China and Formosa.
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P
Pan-fired
A kind
of Japan tea that is steamed then rolled in iron pans over charcoal fires.
Plucking plateau
The flat top of the tea bush from which the top two leaf and bud
sprouts on sprigs are plucked.
Pouchong
A
kind of scented China or Formosa tea so called from the Cantonese method
of packing tea in small paper packet, each of which was supposed to be the
produce of one choice of tea plant.
Pruning
Selective cutting back of the tea bush, to maintain its shape and
help it stay productive.
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R
Russian tea
The
name given to a glass of hot tea liquor which has been poured into the
glass over a slice of lemon. Sometimes sugar or honey is added. In some
countries this type of tea drink is known as lemon tea. The name comes
from the Russian way of taking tea.
Rwanda
An
African tea producer, whose teas are used for blending purposes. Rwanda
tea has a bright coppery color and brisk taste.
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S
Scented tea
Green semi-fermented or black teas that have been flavored by the
additions of flowers, flower petals, fruits spices or natural oils.
Examples of these are Jasmine Tea, Rose Puchong, Orange Tea, Cinnamon Tea
or Earl Grey.
Semi-fermented tea
Tea that has been partially fermented before being fired or dried.
This tea has the qualities and appearance halfway between a green and
black tea.
Sencha
The
most popular variety of green tea in Japan.
Sibsagar
A
tea growing district in Assam, North India.
Single Estate tea
A blend of teas from one particular estate or garden.
Smoky tea
Black tea from China or Formosa that has been smoked over a wood
fire such as in the case of Lapsang Souchong.
Souchong
A
large leaf black tea. Originated in China, Souchong tea was made from a
small bush whose leaves were allowed to develop to a large size.
Specialty tea
A blend of teas that takes its name from the area in which it is
grown; a blend of teas blended for a particular person or event, or a
blend of teas for a particular time of day.
Spring teas
Formosa teas picked in the April-May season.
Sumatra
A
tea producing island of Indonesia.
Summer teas
Formosa teas picked in the June-September season.
Szechwan
A
non-smoky black tea from China, with narrow leaves and flowery fragrance.
Also a tea growing province in China.
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T
Tannin
The name
the tea trade worldwide gives to polyphenols contained in tea. Polyphenols
are responsible for the pungency of tea and give its taste.
Tanzania
African tea producing country.
Tarry
The
smoky aroma and taste associated with a smoked black tea such as Lapsang
Souchong.
Tea
Tea is
made from the dried leaves of the Camellia sinensis, the tea plant, which
was first cultivated in China and found growing wild in India. Chinese
monks and European traders introduced it to Japan, Sri Lanka and other
countries. Today there are more than 3000 varieties of tea, each having
its own distinct character and named for the district in which it is
grown. Green tea is produced by steaming fresh-picked leaves before heat
drying. Black tea is produced by allowing picked tea leaves to completely
ferment before firing. Oolong teas are only partially fermented.
Tea factory
Factory where the plucked leaf is made or manufactured into black
or green tea.
Tea tree
A
tea bush or plant which has been allowed to return to its wild state and
grow back into a tree.
Tea taster
An expert judge of leaf and cup quality tea at all stages of
production, brokerage blending and final packaging.
Terai
A
North Indian tea growing district just below the Darjeeling district.
Tip
The bud
leaves on a tea bush.
Twankay
A
low grade China green tea. This word was corrupted Twanky, which was
applied to the men manning the ships bringing tea back from China. These
ships often foundered on reaching the British coast and the bodies of
Twankys would be washed ashore to be found by their widows - hence the
name given to the Aladdin character 'Widow Twanky' by a Victorian
impresario.
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U
Uva
A tea
growing district in Sri Lanka which produces a tea of great subtlety.
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Y
Yunnen
A tea
growing province in China producing a black leaf tea. Along with Assam,
this region was the original site of wild tea plants.
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Z
Zimbabwe
Tea
producing country of Africa.
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