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Terms Describing Tea Liquor/Liquid
(Brewed Tea)
A B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I J K L
M
N O P
Q
R
S
T
U V W
X Y Z
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B
Baggy
An
unpleasant taste, normally resulting from the tea being carried or wrapped
in unlined hessian bags.
Bakey
An
over fired tea with the result that too much moisture has been driven off
the leaf while drying.
Bitter
An
unpleasant taste associated with raw teas.
Body
A
liquor having both fullness and strength as opposed to being thin.
Brassy
Unpleasant metallic quality similar to brass. Usually associated
with unwithered tea.
Bright
Denotes a lively fresh tea with good keeping quality.
Brisk
The
most 'live' characteristic. Results from good manufacture.
Burned
Taint caused by extreme over drying during manufacture.
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C
Character
An attractive taste, specific to growth origin describing teas
grown at high altitude.
Coarse
A
tea producing a harsh undesirable liquor with taste to match.
Colory
Indicates useful depth of color and strength.
Common
A
very plain light and thin liquor with no distinct flavor.
Cream
A
natural precipitate obtained as the liquor cools down.
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D
Dry
Indicates slight over-firing or drying during manufacture.
Dull
Not clear, lacking any brightness or briskness.
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E
Earthy
Normally caused by damp storage of tea but can also describe a
taste that is sometimes 'climatically inherent' in teas from certain
regions.
Empty
A
liquor lacking fullness. Has no substance.
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F
Flat
Not
fresh, usually due to age. Tea tends to lose its characteristics and taste
with age, unlike some wines, which mature with age.
Flavor
A
most desirable extension of character caused by slow growth at high
altitudes. Relatively rare.
Fruity
Can
be due to overfermenting during manufacture and/or bacterial infection
before firing or drying, which gives the tea an over ripe taste. Unlike
wines this is not a desirable taste in tea.
Full
A good
combination of strength and color.
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G
Gone off
A
flat or old tea. Often denotes a high moisture content.
Green
When
referring to black tea liquor denotes an immature 'raw' character. This is
mostly due to under fermenting and sometimes to under withering during
manufacture.
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H
Hard
A very
pungent liquor, a desirable quality in tea.
Harsh
A
taste generally due to the leaf being under withered during manufacture
resulting in a very rough taste.
Heavy
A
thick, strong and colored liquor with limited briskness.
High-fired
Over fired or dried, but not bakey or burned.
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L
Lacking
Describes a neutral liquor with no body or pronounced
characteristics.
Light
Lacking strength and depth of color.
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M
Malty
Desirable character in some Assam teas. A full, bright tea with a
malty taste.
Mature
Not
bitter or flat.
Metallic
A
sharp coppery taste.
Muddy
A
dull, opaque liquor.
Muscatel
Desirable character in Darjeeling teas. A grapey taste.
Musty
A
suspicion of mold.
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P
Plain
A
liquor that is 'clean' but lacking in desirable characteristics.
Point
A
bright, acidic and penetrating characteristic.
Pungent
Astringent with a good combination of briskness, brightness and
strength.
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Q
Quality
Refers to 'cup quality' and denotes a combination of the most
desirable liquoring qualities.
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R
Rasping
A
very coarse and harsh liquor.
Raw
A
bitter, unpleasant taste.
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S
Soft
The
opposite of briskness. Tea lacking any 'live' characteristics and is
caused by inefficient fermentation and/or drying.
Stewed
A
soft liquor with undesirable taste that lacks point. Caused by faulty
firing, or drying, at low temperatures and often with insufficient airflow
through the oven during tea manufacture or making.
Strength
Substance in cup.
Sweaty
Disagreeable taste. Poor tea.
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T
Taint
Characteristic or taste that is foreign to tea, such as oil,
garlic etc. Often due to the tea being stored next to other commodities
with strong characteristics of their own.
Thick
Liquor with good color and strength.
Thin
An
insipid light liquor that lacks desirable characteristics.
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W
Weedy
A
grass or hay taste associated with teas that have been under withered
during manufacture and sometimes referred to as 'woody'.
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