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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 teas
Muddy: Tea taster's term to denote a dull, blackish color of the
infusion
Nose: The aroma of the tea
Oolong: A form of tea characterized by lighter brews and larger
leaf styles. This tea is typically understood as a lightly fermented tea,
between green and black tea on a continuum.
Orange pekoe: Referring to size of leaf, not quality or flavor,
this term indicates a larger-size grade of whole leaf teas.
Orthodox: Prepared using a technique, which leads to larger leaf
styles mirroring hand-produced teas.
Osthmanthus: A princely, elegant flower that blooms in the autumn
and used at fall festivals. The creamy white flowers resemble jasmine.
Used in medicine and tea
Pan fired: Tea that is steamed and then agitated in an iron wok
over a fire
Pekoe: A word of Cantonese origins, Pak-ho, referring to the
“white-down or hair” that coats the bud.
Plain: Tea taster's term to denote dull liquor with sour taste
Plucking: The process of harvesting the tea by cutting the flush
from the growing tea shrub.
Polyphenols: Astringent compounds present in tea
Pu erh: A type of tea most notably from the Yunnan province of
China. Damp green tea that has been fermented microbiologically to a black
leaf. Can be loose-leaf or compressed
Pungent: Tea taster's term to denote a very astringent tea
Rawness: Bitter taste
Rolling: The process of crushing the leaves to initiate
fermentation and impart twist.
Rose hips: An acidic, astringent, tonic herb, rich in vitamins. Has
been used internally for colds, influenza, minor infectious diseases,
scurvy, diarrhea, and gastritis.
Self drinking: Rounded, well bodied tea that can be served
unblended
Schisandra berry: Tart berry used in Chinese medicine. Noted for
helping the liver
Smoky: Tea taster's term for teas that have been fired over smoky
flames, imparting a smoky flavor
Soft: Tea taster's term for under fermented teas
Souchong: Term for large leaf teas derived from the third and
fourth leaf of the tea shoot
Stalk: Describes teas with presence of red stalk pieces from a hard
plucking
Tannin: Erroneous term referring to the astringent polyphenols of
tea, unrelated to tannic acid polyphenols of other plants
Tarry: Tea taster's term for teas that have been fired over smoky
flames, imparting a smoky flavor
Tat: Shelf made of wire mesh or burlap used to spread the leaves
out for withering and fermentation
Tea: See Camellia sinensis
Tea cozy: Insulated cover to keep tea hot in the pot
Theaflavins: Orange red polyphenols unique to fermented teas such
as black tea, and formed from the condensation of two catechins
Theanine: Unique amino acid in tea.
Theine: Synonym for caffeine
Ti kuan yin: "Iron Goddess of Mercy"- a distinctive type of oolong
tea typically longer-fermented and possessing a darker-colored but
fragrant brew
Tippy: Teas with white or golden tips, indicating high quality
Tip: Fine bud ends indicating a high quality tea
Tisane: Teas produced from the leaves of plants other than the tea
plant, herbal tea.
Tuocha: Bowl tea. A form of brick tea comprised of pu-erh tea
pressed into a bowl shaped cake. Looks like a bird’s nest
Twist: Before fermentation, the leaves need to be crushed to
initiate oxidation. This imparts the curled appearance of the finished
leaf.
Two and a bud: The ideal plucked tea for production, consisting of
the new tea shoot and the first two leaves
White tea: A special type of green tea. Distinguished by the
presence of the white hairs of the tea flush (baihao) and a lighter green,
almost clear, infusion.
Winey: Mellow quality, characteristic of some Keemun teas which
have been given time to age
Withering: The first step in production of most teas. Involves
letting the fresh leaves wither for some period of time after plucking to
reduce moisture content.
Woody: Tea taster's term indicating an undesirable grass or hay
flavor in black tea
Yixing: Pronounced ee-ching, this region in China is noted for its
purple clay, used to produce distinctive unglazed teapots.
Yunnan: Tea grown in the Yunnan province, in the southwest of
China. These black teas are known for their spicy character. This region
also produces Pu-Erh tea.
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