Soft leaf describes tea leaf — both freshly plucked green leaf and certain finished teas — that is tender, pliable, and young in character, as opposed to hard, coarse, or fibrous mature…

Green leaf standard refers to the quality criteria applied to freshly plucked tea leaf at the point of acceptance into the factory — before any processing begins. It encompasses the evaluation of…

First leaf and second leaf are positional terms for the two youngest open leaves on the growing tea shoot (Camellia sinensis), counting outward from the terminal bud. The first leaf is the…

Broken grade describes a category of orthodox tea in which the manufactured leaf has been intentionally cut or broken into smaller pieces during processing — as opposed to whole-leaf grades (FOP, OP,…

A withering trough (also called a blowing trough in older British trade literature) is the primary piece of equipment used for the withering stage of orthodox tea manufacture — the long, ventilated…

Winey note is a positive tasting descriptor for a vinous, slightly fermented, wine-like quality in tea — evoking the rounded, dried-fruit, mildly fermented character of aged wine or dried grape. It appears…

Wet leaf aroma is the aroma assessment of the infused — spent — tea leaves remaining in the cupping bowl or gaiwan after steeping is complete. It is the aromatic counterpart to…

Vegetal character is a broad tasting descriptor for green plant, fresh herb, or vegetable-like notes in tea. It encompasses a wide spectrum: from the delicate fresh cucumber or edamame character of fine…

Two leaves and a bud is the most widely recognised premium pluck standard in tea production — the harvesting of the terminal bud (the unopened growing tip) together with the two youngest…

Toasty roast is a warm, baked, grain-like character in tea — evoking toasted bread, warm crackers, grain husks, or the initial warmth of a biscuit fresh from the oven. It arises from…

Tip content describes the proportion of unopened leaf buds — tips, also called pekoe — present in a dry tea lot, as a percentage of the total leaf by weight or visual…

Thin liquor describes a brewed tea that is watery, lacking in body, concentration, and character — the opposite of thick liquor. A thin tea feels insubstantial on the palate, fails to deliver…

Thick sweet aftertaste — described in Chinese as 回甘 (huí gān, literally “returning sweetness”) — is the lingering, coating, gradually intensifying sweetness that remains in the mouth and throat after swallowing quality…

Thick liquor describes a brewed tea with density, weight, and substance on the palate — a liquor that feels concentrated, full-bodied, and physically present rather than thin or watery. It is a…

Strength of liquor is the degree of concentration and overall intensity in brewed tea — the amount of flavour-active, colour-producing, and physiologically active compounds dissolved in the cup. A strong tea is…

Stone fruit note is a positive flavour and aroma descriptor for a peach, apricot, plum, or cherry-like quality in tea — the characteristic impression of ripe, juicy tree fruit with a smooth,…

Steely flavor is a mineral tasting descriptor for a clean, cool, sharply precise quality in tea with a faint metallic edge — evoking polished steel, cold stone, or the clarity of high-altitude…

Stalky describes a tea lot in which an excessive proportion of stem and stalk material — the woody portions of the shoot below the tender growing leaves — is present in the…

Spinachy is an unfavourable tasting descriptor for a cooked greens flavour in tea — specifically evoking the taste of overcooked spinach, chard, or other dark leafy vegetables: heavy, somewhat sulphurous, damp, and…

Smoky profile describes the presence of smoke character in brewed tea — a spectrum from light campfire warmth through intense woodsmoke to acrid char. Smoke in tea is unique among major flavour…

The slurp technique is the deliberate and forceful inhalation of tea (or wine, coffee, or other evaluated beverage) through pursed lips — producing an audible slurp that sprays the liquid in a…

Self-drinking tea is a trade and evaluation term for a tea of sufficient quality, balance, and character to be enjoyed without milk, sugar, lemon, or other additions — the tea itself is…

A roast master (焙茶師 — pèi chá shī in Mandarin; also bēi chá shī) is a skilled tea artisan whose speciality is the roasting stage of tea production — the precise application…

Ripe puerh character (also shou puerh character) describes the distinctive and recognisable sensory profile of shou puerh — tea that has undergone the wodui (wet piling) fermentation process: deeply earthy, smooth, and…

In the Chinese tea classification system, what Western tea markets call black tea is classified as red tea (hóng chá, 红茶) — named for the characteristic red-amber colour of the brewed liquor.…

Real tea refers exclusively to beverages brewed from the leaves, buds, or stems of Camellia sinensis — the tea plant. Tisane (from French; also called herbal tea, herbal infusion, or botanical infusion)…

Pungent strength is a positive quality term in professional black tea evaluation describing a powerful, sharply concentrated liquor with penetrating intensity — not simply strong but keenly, cleanly strong in a way…

Point is a professional tea tasting term describing the sharp, vivid first impression made by the tea on the palate at the very moment of first contact — the initial bright impact…

Pluck standard is the defined specification for which portions of the growing shoot (Camellia sinensis) should be harvested in a given picking operation — expressed as a specific combination of bud and…

Peak infusion is the optimal steeping point at which a tea’s flavour, aroma, colour, and body reach their ideal expression — the brief window during extraction where all sensory dimensions are in…

Ordinaire (French: ordinary) is a historical trade descriptor applied in the European — particularly French and Belgian — tea trade to tea of adequate but undistinguished quality: reliable everyday leaf without special…

Nutty note is a warm, rounded flavour and aroma descriptor describing a roasted or toasted nut quality — specifically evoking hazelnuts, chestnuts, almonds, walnuts, or peanuts. It appears most prominently in pan-fired…

Nose in tea evaluation refers to the structured aroma assessment component of formal tea cupping — the deliberate, methodical smelling of the tea at multiple stages to identify its fragrance character, assess…

Meaty character is a savory, umami-adjacent tasting descriptor describing a deep, dense, broth-like quality in brewed tea — evoking the flavour of meat stock, mushroom broth, or dark, rich umami. It is…

Malty note is a positive flavour and aroma descriptor for a warm, rounded, sweet-grain character in black tea — specifically evoking malt extract, malted barley, bread dough, or malt biscuit. It is…

Lively cup describes a brewed tea that has vibrant, fresh, and energetic overall character — the quality of being animated and alert in the cup rather than flat, dull, or passive. A…

The leaf grade system (commonly called the pekoe grading system or orthodox grading system) is the standardised classification framework used in Indian and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) orthodox black tea trade to categorise…

Infused leaf evaluation (also called wet leaf evaluation or spent leaf assessment) is the final stage of a complete formal tea tasting — the examination of the brewed, open, wet leaves remaining…

Hong cha (红茶, hóng chá) — literally “red tea” — is the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and broader East Asian classification for what the Western world calls black tea: a fully oxidized Camellia…

High-fire roast (重焙火, zhòng bèi huǒ in Chinese — literally “heavy fire roasting”) is an intensive, high-temperature roasting technique applied primarily to oolong teas — particularly Wuyi Rock Oolongs (Yancha) and some…

Gray leaf (also spelled grey leaf) is a dry leaf quality defect in which the tea leaf surface appears dull, greyish, or washed-out — lacking the characteristic colour appropriate to the tea…

Grainy texture is a mouthfeel descriptor applied to CTC (Cut-Tear-Curl) black teas — a slightly rough, coarse, or granular sensation in the brew distinct from the smoother, rounder mouthfeel of comparable whole-leaf…

FTGFOP — Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe — is the highest grade designation in the orthodox black tea grading hierarchy used in India (Darjeeling, Assam, Nilgiri) and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). The…

Formosa Oolong is the historical Western trade designation for oolong tea produced in Taiwan, using “Formosa” — the Portuguese name for the island (from Ilha Formosa, “Beautiful Island”) — rather than the…

Flowery Orange Pekoe (FOP) is a whole-leaf black tea grade designation in the orthodox pekoe grading system, indicating long, intact, rolled or twisted leaves with some inclusion of buds/tips — a grade…

Fixed green (also called kill-green or, in Chinese, 殺青, shā qīng — literally “kill the green”) is the critical heat-application step in green tea manufacture that deactivates the polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase…

Even pluck describes a tea harvest in which all plucked leaf material is consistent and uniform — each picker harvests the same pluck standard (e.g., always two leaves and a bud; always…

Earthy profile describes a tea whose flavour and aroma carries notes reminiscent of rich soil, forest floor, mushroom, petrichor (the smell of rain on earth), autumn leaves, or damp earth. Earthiness in…

Dust (abbreviated D in CTC grading) is the smallest and finest particle-size grade in the CTC (Cut-Tear-Curl) black tea grading system — particles so small they approach a powder. Dust grade tea…

Dry leaf evaluation is the first stage of formal tea assessment — the visual, tactile, and olfactory examination of tea leaves before water is added. It provides an immediate preview of the…