| TEAOLOGY 101 |
| Anhui: A major tea producing province in China. |
| Antioxidant: A compound which retards oxidation. |
Aroma: Also known as the nose, the odor of the
brewed leaf and the resulting liquor. |
Assam: A major tea growing region in India.
These
black teas are known for their strong malty flavor. |
Astringency: The drying sensation, (or bite) in the
mouth caused by certain teas. |
Autumnal: Tea produced late in the growing season –
often used in reference to Darjeeling 4th flush teas. |
Bergamot: A citrus oil derived from the bergamot orange used
to flavor black tea to make Earl Grey tea. |
| Black Tea: Fully oxidized leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Black teas are the most popular tea in the world and are also known as Red tea in China referring to the color of the infusion in the cup. |
| Blend: Method to establish consistency between lots of teas. |
| Body: Tea taster's term to denote strength and viscosity of a brewed tea. |
Brick Tea: Tea leaves that have been steamed and compressed
into bricks. Pu-erh is a common brick tea. |
Caffeine: An alkaloid which acts as a Central Nervous
System stimulant and diuretic. |
Catechins: The class of polyphenol found in tea which
function as antioxidants. |
| Ceylon tea: Tea from Sri Lanka. |
Cha: Romanized spelling of Chinese and Japanese
character which defines the word tea. |
Chai: The word for tea on the Indian subcontinent. In the west
it generally means a spiced black tea made with milk (masala chai). |
Chesty: A term denoting an odor in tea absorbed from
the wood of a traditional storage chest. |
Chest: Traditional container made of wood with a metal
lining used to ship tea from tea estates. |
| Chunmee: A grade of Chinese tea with a curled form. |
| Congou: Chinese Black, or Red, Tea. |
| CTC: Acronym for Cut, Tear, and Curl, a machine process which cuts the withered leaves into uniform particles to facilitate a complete oxidation. Typical of most black tea grown in India and other lowland producing countries, and used in teabags to create a stronger more colorful tea. |
Darjeeling Tea: Tea grown in the Darjeeling Hills of India.
These teas are renowned for their muscatel flavor. |
| Display Tea: A tea that has a special appearance once steeped. |
Dust: The smallest grade of tea, typically associated with lower quality.
Dust is prized for its quick extraction and is commonly used in teabags. |
| Earl Grey: Any Black Tea blend flavored with Bergamot Oil. |
Fannings: Small particles of tea one grade larger than Dust produced
as a by product of the tea making process. |
| Fermentation: More properly termed – Oxidation. Describes the process of enzymic oxidation, where elements in the leaf react with air to create a darker brown-red color and characteristic aroma to the resulting tea. |
Firing: The process whereby the tea leaves are dried to arrest further
enzymic changes. This makes the tea fit for packing and storing. |
Flush: Flush refers to the four separate plucking seasons throughout
the year, each known for it’s distinctive flavor. |
| Formosa Teas: Tea produced in Taiwan, typically oolong teas. |
| Genmaicha: Green tea blended with roasted rice |
