Tea tasting is a unique blend of sensory experience and scientific method, that involves evaluating the appearance, aroma, flavour, and texture of various teas. Beginners can enhance their experience by using proper tools like a temperature-controlled kettle, scale, & timer, and preparing a quiet, distraction-free environment. With practice, tea enthusiasts can explore and appreciate the characteristics of different tea types.

One of the world’s oldest and most cherished beverages, tea offers a sensory experience that goes far beyond just drinking a cup. Much like wine tasting, tea tasting requires careful attention to the nuances of flavour, aroma, appearance, and even texture.

For beginners, the world of tea may seem overwhelming with its vast variety of flavours and types. However, with some basic knowledge of tea tasting techniques, you can unlock a whole new world of enjoyment.

This guide provides a detailed overview of the essential tea tasting techniques and tips to help you explore and appreciate tea like a connoisseur.

1. Understanding Different Types of Tea

Before diving into the tea tasting process, it is important to familiarise yourself with the primary categories of tea. While there are countless variations, most teas fall into five major types:

• White Tea: Light, delicate, and minimally processed, white tea has a subtle flavour with sweet and floral undertones.
• Green Tea: A staple in many cultures, green tea is known for its fresh, grassy flavours with slightly vegetal and nutty notes.
• Oolong Tea: Semi-oxidised oolong tea offers a wide range of flavours, from light and floral to rich and fruity, depending on the degree of oxidation.
• Black Tea: Fully oxidised, black tea is often robust and bold, with flavours ranging from malty and fruity to smoky and earthy.
• Herbal Tea (Tisanes): While technically not true tea (as it does not come from the Camellia sinensis plant), herbal infusions can feature a variety of flavours derived from ingredients such as chamomile, peppermint, hibiscus, and rooibos.

2. Tools for Proper Tea Tasting

Each piece of equipment serves a unique purpose in ensuring that the tea is brewed and tasted under ideal conditions.

• Tea Tasting Cup Set

This set includes a small tea tasting cup and a brewing vessel, often designed to enhance the tea’s aroma and flavour. These help you assess the tea’s colour and clarity, while allowing you to focus on the shades of the brew.

• Kettle with Temperature Control

Different types of tea require different brewing temperatures to bring out their unique flavours. A kettle with temperature control ensures you heat the water precisely to the ideal temperature that is recommended for each type of tea.

• Scale

Accurately measuring your tea leaves is essential for consistency in the tasting process. Using a kitchen scale allows you to measure the exact amount of tea leaves to brew. This ensures the flavour intensity remains consistent across multiple tastings.

• Timer

Timing is crucial when it comes to brewing tea. Over-steeping can result in bitterness, while under-steeping can leave the flavours underdeveloped. A timer helps you steep each tea for the optimal duration, which varies by type. For instance, green tea might only need 1-2 minutes, whereas oolong tea may need 3-5 minutes to develop their flavours fully.

• Filtered Water

Using filtered water helps ensure that the tea’s natural flavours shine through without interference. Clean, fresh water allows the fineness of the tea to be fully appreciated, particularly in delicate varieties like white or green tea.

3. The 5-step Tea Tasting Process

Tea tasting is a multi-sensory experience that engages your sight, smell, and taste, to help you fully appreciate the nuances of each tea. Here is a step-by-step guide to the tea tasting process:

Step 1: Assessing the Dry Leaves

The appearance of the leaves is your first clue to the tea’s quality. Look at their size, shape, and colour. White tea leaves are often fuzzy and delicate, while green tea leaves are typically slender and vibrant green. Next, focus on the aroma of the dry leaves. Warm them gently in your hands and inhale deeply. Different teas emit different scents – such as sweet, grassy, nutty, floral, or earthy.

Step 2: Steeping the Tea

The brewing process is essential to unlocking the full flavour of the tea, and both steeping time and water temperature are critical. Each type of tea has different brewing temperature and time.

White Tea: 75°C – 80°C, steep for 2-3 minutes.

Green Tea: 70°C – 80°C, steep for 1-2 minutes.

Oolong Tea: 85°C – 90°C, steep for 3-5 minutes.

Black Tea: 90°C – 100°C, steep for 3-5 minutes.

Herbal Tea: 95°C – 100°C, steep for 5-7 minutes.

As the tea steeps, watch the leaves as they unfurl and release their flavours into the water. This is the moment when the essence of the tea comes to life.

Step 3: Evaluating the Liquor

Observe the tea’s colour. White teas will have a light, golden hue, while black teas tend to be a rich, dark reddish-brown. The colour can indicate the tea’s strength, oxidation level, and brewing time. Next, check the clarity of the tea. The liquor should be bright and clear; cloudiness may suggest over-steeping or poor water quality.

Step 4: Smelling the Brewed Tea

Focus on the primary aromas – the first scents you notice. These can vary widely, from floral and fruity to smoky and earthy, depending on the tea. As it cools, take a second sniff to detect any secondary aromas. High-quality teas often reveal deeper, more complex scents over time – offering layers of aroma that enhance your tasting experience.

Step 5: Tasting the Tea

Before you begin tasting, it is important to cleanse your palate, so that no previous flavours interfere with the tea. Take a sip and allow the tea to coat your entire palate. Do not hesitate to slurp slightly, as this helps aerate the tea and brings out the flavours.

Start by identifying the initial flavour that hits your tongue.

Is it sweet, sour, bitter, or umami (savoury)? Each type of tea highlights different primary flavours. Pay attention to the texture, also known as the mouthfeel. Is the tea smooth, silky, dry, or thick? The texture varies, depending on the type of tea and its processing.

After swallowing, notice the aftertaste – the lingering flavour that remains on your palate. High-quality teas often leave a pleasant, long-lasting aftertaste, referred to as the tea’s ‘finish’.

4. Keeping a Tea Tasting Journal

As a beginner, keeping track of your experiences is a valuable way to develop your tea tasting skills. Write down the following details after each tasting session. Over time, you will start to notice patterns in the types of teas you enjoy; and you can accordingly refine your preferences.

1. Tea Name and Type
2. Origin
3. Water Temperature and Steeping Time
4. Aroma of Dry Leaves
5. Appearance and Colour of the Liquor
6. Flavours Detected
7. Mouthfeel and Texture
8. Aftertaste

5. Pairing Tea with Food

Just like wine, tea can be paired with specific types of food, to enhance both the flavours of the tea and the meal. For example, white tea pairs well with salads and fruits due to its delicate taste, while green tea complements grilled vegetables and sushi. Oolong tea works beautifully with mildly spiced dishes and pastries, and bold black teas are perfect for rich foods like meats, chocolates, and cheeses.

Herbal teas like chamomile and peppermint are ideal with sweet treats like cookies or fruit-based snacks. Pairing tea with food allows you to explore new combinations and deepen your appreciation for the taste of chai and other teas.

Conclusion

Whether you are an enthusiast, considering a tea tasting course, or exploring the career of a tea taster (and curious about the tea taster salary), the world of tea tasting is rich and rewarding. Use this blog as a starting point for developing your skills; and remember, the more you practise, the more you will appreciate the shades and complexities this globally adored beverage has to offer.

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