Tasting tea like a professional tea taster: sensory techniques and analysis

How is tea analyzed and evaluated?

Dry, wet, and steeped. From the color of the leaves to their shape, from the body of the beverage to its taste, without neglecting the aromas of the wet leaves: we’re going to learn how to taste tea (almost) like a professional tea taster.

A BIT OF HISTORY

Comparative tasting and competitions first began in China in the 8th century AD. In the west, professional tasting became widespread at the end of the 19th century when tea, imported from China and India, was often adulterated. The new harvests would be mixed with old ones, or the tea leaves would be combined with leaves from other plants. It thus became necessary to inspect the products that arrived through customs before putting them on the market. In companies that sold tea, the professional figures of the tea taster and tea blender emerged. 

The objective of professional tasting is to taste and compare a large number of teas in order to create a sort of universal standard of evaluation based on set parameters.

WHO IS A TEA TASTER AND WHAT DO THEY DO?

Before getting into what aspects determine the quality of a tea, we need to clarify what the work of a tea taster is. This high profile figure evaluates the organoleptic characteristics of tea on a daily basis and, after years of experience, is able to analyze up to two or three hundred samples per day.

Their ability to discern, in just a few sips, the qualities and defects of a batch of tea, plays a key role during the production stage and, subsequently, in determining the sales price. Furthermore, thanks to their highly developed sense of smell and well-trained palate, tea tasters are able to combine different types of tea to recreate the same blend. It’s important to note that all of the tea blends present on the market can be made up of more than twenty types of tea, from plantations in various production countries. Tea is an agricultural product and, as such, even if a specific producer always cultivates the same variety, the quality of the harvest will be different from the previous or subsequent one each time. 

In addition to the season and climate, variations in price as well as fluctuations in the yield of the harvest, which affect the availability of raw materials, can further make it difficult to achieve a successful blend. 

EVALUATION TOOLS AND METHODS

The professional tea tasting set is white porcelain and consists of three elements:

a cup in the shape of a bowl, a cup with a handle and small notched border, and a lid. This set makes it possible to prepare small amounts of tea simultaneously while maintaining a constant leaf to water ratio for dozens of different teas. The objective of professional tasting is to compare different batches of the same tea from different plantations and to describe the qualities and defects of each. For a successful tasting, it’s important to be familiar with the general characteristics of the tea that you’re analyzing. A comparison will highlight the differences and similarities and make it possible to select the best one in terms of quality.

No matter where the professional tasting takes place, it adheres to the same ISO standards and uses the same equipment. The ISO standards aren’t a law, but outline the rules regarding the cup (providing precise guidelines regarding weight, diameter, curvature, height, shape, lid, etc…), the quantity of tea, the duration of the steeping, and the temperature of the water. A comparative analysis of different teas is valid only if all of these parameters remain the same, changing, obviously, only the tea that’s to be analyzed. 

Professional tasting uses cups that are a clear evolution of the Gaiwan cup used in China. 

A tasting is conducted in the following manner:

1. place the dry leaves of the tea that’s to be evaluated on a small white dish (or tray);
2. arrange the set, made up of bowl and notched cup with lid, next to it;
3. place 2.8 grams of tea in the notched cup;
4. pour 140 ml of water at 98°C over the leaves, cover with the lid, and wait five minutes;
5. when the time is up, holding the lid in place and using it as a filter to keep the tea leaves inside the notched cup, pour the entire content into the bowl-shaped cup;
6. the tea can be evaluated: dry (dry leaves), wet (beverage), and steeped (wet leaves).

LET THE SENSORY ANALYSIS BEGIN!

We’ll start with analysis of the dry product, or rather the tea leaves before being steeped in hot water.

To understand the quality, it’s necessary to carefully examine the shape, color and brightness, uniformity, and integrity. This visual analysis allows us to take note of the harvest’s composition (leaves that are already open, whole, or broken, only buds, buds mixed with leaves). Finally, we look for any defects, like the presence of impurities, spots, or foreign bodies, such as little twigs which are generally a sign of a lower quality product. 

Well-formed leaves of uniform shape, size, and color, which give the impression of tenderness despite being dry, are a good indication of higher quality. 

For a thorough analysis, remember that even dry tea leaves release aromatic notes and, consequently, an olfactory analysis of them is necessary as well. This can reveal many characteristics of the tea, which aren’t necessarily the same ones that we’ll find in the beverage. Before steeping the leaves, don’t be afraid to touch them. Even touch plays a part! Elasticity, brittleness, and softness are all revealing factors.

Once steeped in water, the tea to be drunk (technically called “liquor”) is obtained. This is the most important part of the tasting as it reveals the specific character of the tea. We start once again with a visual analysis: the color, in addition to identifying the family of tea, also gives us information regarding its quality, based on factors like the clarity or, on the contrary, the opacity of the liquor. The aroma can be more or less intense or persistent and should be evaluated before sipping so as to be isolated from the taste and in order to perceive its distinctive notes. 

Taste is a combination of flavor, texture, and aroma. Small sips help to identify the predominant flavor: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, or umami. 

In Japanese “umami” means “flavorful” and is a characteristic note of eastern food, though it’s also very present in Mediterranean foods that we’re quite familiar with as well, such as Reggiano Parmesan cheese, ripe tomatoes, garlic, dry porcini mushrooms, and beef broth.

Subsequently, we must focus on the body (or structure) of the liquor, evaluating its persistence and the tactile sensations (like astringency or softness), and, last but not least, the fragrance which we call aroma. 

Tea has numerous smells which can be traced back to aromatic families that are well-known to those who study wines, liqueurs, and other tasting foods. The groups are: vegetal, fruity, floral, briny, woody, confectionery, balsamic, spiced, toasty, or animal.

A professional tea tasting ends with analysis of the steeped, or wet, leaves which have given their aroma to the water. 

Once again, we start with a visual analysis which takes note of the leaves’ appearance. It’s important that they’ve maintained their shape and consistency, without breaking apart. 

Use touch to help verify whether they have remained compact and whole or turned into a pulp. Then proceed with olfactory analysis: do the steeped leaves confirm the aromatic notes already observed in the dry and wet product, or do they offer some surprises? Wet leaves often, in fact, reveal new smells that weren’t present in the dry product or the liquor.

The perceptive sensitivity of our sense of smell is extremely subjective and varies considerably from one individual to the next. A great deal of practice is required in order to develop a personal method and learn how to recognize a tea’s aromatic notes. In fact, it’s necessary to associate what we smell with all of the information and lived experiences that are stored in our sensory memory. During tasting, it’s fundamental to focus primarily on the retro-nasal sensations that we perceive. With practice you’ll be able to evaluate the quality of a tea based on the proper balance of its aromatic notes. 

No one expects you to be or become professional tea tasters, but, with these tips, we’re confident that you’re on your way to learning how to appreciate a high quality tea.