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Tea Glossary
Tea Glossary
Agony of the leaves: Expression describing the unfurling of rolled or twisted leaves during steeping
Assam: Tea grown in the state of Assam, in India. These (generally black) teas are known for their strong, deep red infusions.
Astringency: The drying sensation in the mouth caused by teas high in unoxidized polyphenols.
Autumnal: Tea produced late in the growing season
Bakey: Tea taster expression for over fired teas with too much moisture removed
Bergamot: Essential oil of the bergamot orange used to flavor a black tea base to make Earl Grey tea
Billy: Australian term referring to tin pot with wire handle to suspend over an open fire in which tea is boiled
Biscuity: Tea taster's expression, often used with Assam teas that have been fired well but not overly so
Bite: A term referring to the astringent quality of black tea
Black: Tea that has been oxidized
Bloom: Tea taster's term to describe sheen or luster present to finished leaf
Body: Tea taster's term to denote a full strength brew
Bold: Large leaf cut tea
Brassy: Unpleasant acidic bite from improperly withered tea
Break: Auction term referring to a lot for sale, usually 18 chests or more.
Brick tea: Tealeaves that have been steamed and compressed into bricks. Tea is typically shaved and boiled with butter and salt to make a soup
Bright: Denotes a bright red brew or light leaf, as opposed to a dull brown or black color.
Brisk: A tea high in astringency. Also a trademarked characteristic of Lipton tea.
Broken: Smaller leaf style usually created during manufacture by passing the leaf through a cutter
Caddy: Tea storage container. The word caddy derives from the Malay "kati" a measure of weight about 3/5 of a kilo. The 17th century tea containers were bottle shaped tea jars in china, glass, silver, enamel and straw-work covered metal.
Caffeine: stimulating compound present in tea
Cambric tea: a very weak tea infusion in an excess of milk and sugar
Camellia sinensis: The name for the tea bush, which can grow up to 30 feet if left untrimmed
Camellia sinensis var. assamica: A large leaf variety found wild in the Assam region of India
Catechins: Class of polyphenols present in high concentrations in green tea, but found in varying levels in other teas derived from the tea plant
Ceylon: Teas made in Sri Lanka
Cha: “Tea” in Chinese
Chai: Tea. Often refers to masala Chai, or spiced tea, a strong black tea infused with milk, sugar, and spices.
Chamomile: A white, calming herb with an apply aroma, which is usually consumed in the evening
Chest: Classical tea package, usually made of wood and aluminum-lines, used to ship tea from plantation
Chesty: Tea taster's term signifying off odor in tea from the wood in the tea chest
Chunmee: A grade of Chinese tea with a curled shape.
Clippers: The sailing ships that raced tea cargos between china and London. Last one took place in 1871
Congou: A general name for Chinese black tea, derived from gongfu.
Coppery: Bright infusion of good quality black tea
Creaming up: A term used to describe the bubbly residue that occasionally comes to the surface of black teas, especially Assam. This is not a bad characteristic.
Crumpets: Pale, round, hot and made from pouring a thin batter into rings on a hot griddle. The honeycombed surface is ideal for absorbing butter
Ctc: Stands for Crush, Tear, and Curl, a machine-based process that macerates the leaves by pressing through counter-rotating rollers to create a stronger, more colorful tea.
Darjeeling: Tea grown in the Darjeeling region, a mountainous area around the Himalayas, of India. These (generally black) teas are well known for their crisp astringency.
Dhool: Refers to the tealeaf during fermentation, noted for its coppery color.
Desiccation: The final stage in tea manufacturing, consisting in stopping oxidation by drying the black tea leaves
Dust: The smallest grade of tea, this is typically associated with lower quality, but is prized for its quick extraction and is commonly used in teabags.
Earl Grey: Black tea that is scented with the essential oil of bergamot, a citrus.
English muffins: Made with a stiffer batter than crumpets and are baked without rings
Fannings: Small, grainy particles of leaf sifted out of better grade teas
Fermentation: Used in the process of preparing black and oolong tea, this step involves allowing the natural browning enzymes present in tealeaf to oxidize fresh green tea leaves and to impart the darker brown-red color and characteristic aroma.
Fibrous: Teas which contain a large percentage of fannings
Firing: The process of rapidly heating the leaf, either with hot air or in a wok, to quickly halt fermentation and dry the leaf to its final product.
Flat: Teas lacking astringency or briskness
Flowery: Used in grading the size of tea, it typically indicates a leaf style with more of the lighter colored tips.
Flush: The freshly picked tea leaves, typically comprising the bud and first two leaves of the growing tea shoot.
Formosa: Tea produced in Taiwan, typically oolong teas
Full: Strong tea without bitterness and possessing good color
Genmaicha: Green tea with toasted and popped rice
Golden: Denoting the orange colored tip present in high quality black tea
Gone off: When a tea goes bad by improver storage or packing.
Gongfu: Meaning performed with care, this typically refers to a style of brewing with many repeated short infusions of leaf in a miniature pot.
Grainy: Term used to describe high quality CTC teas
Green: Unfermented, dried tea, more commonly found in China and Japan.
Gunpowder: A green tea, which is rolled into pellets, which unfurl in hot water.
Gyrokuro: Japanese green tea produced from shaded plants. "Pearl Dew"
Hard: Pungent tea, desired in some Assam teas
Harsh: Bitter teas
Heavy: A thick, colorful infusion with little briskness or astringency
High tea: A hearty tea served at the end of day not to be confused with afternoon tea, which is a delicate and dainty affair
Hyson: Chinese green teas. Brand of tea in common usage during 18th century. "Flourishing spring".
Infusers: Any tea equipage that will hold tea leaves for steeping purposes
Jasmine: Black tea scented with jasmine flowers, typically made with green Pouchong tea as the base
Keemun: Black tea from central China, typically hand rolled and fired.
Lapsang Souchong: A Chinese black tea, which is fired (dried) over a smoky (pine wood) fire to impart its characteristic smoky flavor.
Licorice root: Has been used to aid digestion
Light: Liquor lacking body or thickness
Malty: Slightly over-fired tea, sometimes desirable
Metallic: Tea taster's term to denote coppery taste of some t
