BUYER’S RESOURCES
The following big-league tea companies sell quality leaf and ship their products nationwide. But don’t overlook local tea vendors. Search for one who stocks an excellent selection of carefully chosen tea and from whom you can learn about the subtleties of tea. Visit often and purchase a small quantity of every tea they sell. A good relationship with a local tea merchant is a valuable opportunity to taste a wide variety of tea and build tea knowledge, putting you on the fast track to experiencing their best teas as well as seasonal or rare teas when they arrive. For more on purchasing tea, see chapter 6.
Adagio Tea
1500 Main Avenue
Clifton, NJ 07011
www.adagio.com
Assam Tea Company
1829 28th Street North
St. Petersburg, FL 33713
727-327-9991
www.assamteacompany.com
Barnes & Watson Fine Teas
270 S. Hanford Street
Seattle, WA 98134
206-625-9435
www.barnesandwatson.com
Cooks Shop Here
65 King Street
Northampton, MA 01060
866-584-5116
www.cooksshophere.com
Den’s Tea
2291 W. 205th Street, Unit 101
Torrance, CA 90501
301-328-3336
www.denstea.com
Floating Leaves
2213 NW Market Street
Seattle, WA 98107
206-529-4268
www.floatingleaves.com
Grace Tea Ltd.
175 Fifth Avenue #810
New York, NY 10010
212-255-2935
www.gracetea.com
Harney and Sons Ltd.
PO Box 665
Salisbury, CT 06068
888-427-6398
www.harney.com
Harney and Sons Tasting Room
13 Main Street
Millerton, NY 12546
www.harney.com
The Highland Tea Company LLC
45 N. Fullerton Avenue, Suite 405
Montclair, NJ 07042
973-509-1669
www.highlandteacompany.com
Holy Mountain Trading Company
PO Box 12420
San Francisco, CA 94112–0420
888-832-8008
www.holymtn.com
Ito En
822 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 11201
888-697-8003
www.itoen.com
Mark T. Wendell
50 Beharrell Street
PO Box 1312
West Concord, MA 01742
978-369-3709
www.marktwendell.com
Peet’s Coffee and Tea
Available in company stores and specialty shops nationwide.
800-999-2132
www.peets.com
Perennial Tea Room
1910 Post Alley
Seattle, WA 98101
888-448-4054
www.perennialtearoom.com
Red & Green Company
1608 Harrison Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-626-1375
www.rngco.com
Rishi Tea
Available in specialty stores nationwide.
www.rishi-tea.com
Silk Road Teas
2980 Kerner Boulevard, Suite A
San Rafael, CA 94901
415-458-8624
www.silkroadteas.com
Simson & Vail
PO Box 765
3 Quarry Road
Brookfield, CT 06804
800-282-8327
www.svtea.com
The Stash Tea Company
PO Box 910
Portland, OR 97207
Available in specialty stores nationwide
800-826-4218
www.stashtea.com
Tea Circle
8657 Lancaster Drive
Rohnert Park, CA 94928
707-792-1946
www.tea-circle.com
Tea Trekker
65 King Street
Northampton, MA 01060
413-584-5116
www.teatrekker.com
Ten Ren Tea
Available in company stores nationwide.
800-650-1047
www.tenren.com
Upton Tea Imports
34-A Hayden Rowe Street
Hopkington, MA 01748
800-234-8327
www.uptontea.com
GLOSSARY
There are many descriptive and explanatory terms associated with tea. Starting with the manufactured leaf and moving right on through to the brewed beverage, this glossary takes a look at the terminology used to describe the various attributes of leaf, liquor, overall flavor, and aroma. Enologists have encouraged food enthusiasts to explore the world of vocabulary in the definition of fine wine; tea lovers have no less of a challenge—and an equal amount of fun describing the qualities of their favorite beverage.
CLASSIC LEAF STYLES (SHAPES) OF MANUFACTURED TEA (DRY LEAF)
White Tea
Traditional:
Sword or bird-tongue (budset)
Modern:
Sword or bird-tongue (budset)
Open or leafy
Flat or flaky
Yellow Tea
Sword or bird-tongue (budset)
Open or leafy
Green Tea
Sword or bird-tongue (budset)
Open or leafy
Flat or flaky
Twist
Spiral or crimped
Needle or wiry
Ball or rolled
Compressed
Oolong Tea
Open or leafy
Flat or flaky
Crimped
Ball-rolled
Black Tea
Twist or curly
Spiral or crimped
Needle or wiry
Ball or rolled
CTC (cut, torn, curled)
Granular
Fannings
Pu-erh Tea
Loose-leaf pu-erh
Twist
Needle or wiry
Compressed or packed pu-erh
Bricked or caked
Bowl or cup
TERMS USED TO DESCRIBE MANUFACTURED TEA (DRY LEAF)
Bloom. A leaf luster indicative of careful sorting and handling.
Clean. Leaf that is free of debris, odd-sized particles, excess dust, and so on.
Crepey. The crumpled appearance of well-made, large, broken-leaf tea.
Even/make/neat. Used interchangeably, these terms refer to tea that is consistent in size and correct to grade; indicates a well-made tea. Example: a properly made Darjeeling TGFOP would be described as “make” or “neat.”
Grainy or granular. Properly-made CTC tea.
Musty. Can be a positive attribute in well-made pu-erhs and a few oolongs; more often, however, this is an off-taste that indicates improper drying and potential mildewing.
Nose. Aroma (smell) of the dry leaf; can only indicate smokiness; off-taste (tiredness); the intentional addition of a fragrance (as in flavored or scented teas); or contamination by a foreign smell (usually negative). Unlike the aromatics of brewed tea, which can afford a glimpse of the ultimate flavor profile of the brewed tea, smelling the dry leaf reveals very little.
Ragged/uneven. Uneven sorting or poor manufacture; the opposite of the term even, this is never a good attribute.
Tip (tippiness). Consisting of, or inclusion of, the budset during harvest; when appropriate, this is positive and an indication of a fine pluck; however, not all teas should be comprised of or have tip, so tippiness may indicate the inappropriate addition of purchased tips.
TERMS USED TO DESCRIBE THE TASTING QUALITIES OF BREWED TEA
Aroma. The scent released from the leaf as a result of the brewing process; a suggestion or preview of the combination of the brisk flavor components and the taste attributes inherent
in the leaf being brewed. There are two types of aroma: the fresh, clean, or dull aspects that show style and quality of manufacture, and the floral, nutty, or grassy descriptors that correspond to the flavors that the palate will amplify.
Astringency. A sensation of drying felt throughout the mouth; similar to what mixologists refer to as “pull” (an essential quality in a great cocktail), this sensation is refreshing and satisfying, thirst quenching and stimulating all at the same time.
Bakey or baked. An overly fired leaf, not a positive toasty or smoky characteristic; a negative dry, overcooked taste.
Biscuity. An aromatic term used most often with black tea made from Assam bush, this is a positive attribute that indicates proper manufacture and the presence of the signature malty taste that Assam bush teas should possess.
Body. The sensation of viscosity on the palate, variously subcategorized as light, medium, or heavy, in reference to the concentration of heft as sensed by the sides of the tongue; also known as fullness; the opposite of the term thin.
Bolt, bolted, bolting. The phenomenon, common to modern Darjeelings and several astringent green teas, wherein the brisk flavor components suddenly overwhelm the body characteristics and the cup qualities become unpleasantly assertive and harsh.
Bright. Indicates a clean, clear style that refreshes the palate; the opposite term is muddy.
Brisk. Having an appropriate amount of astringency; a palate-stimulating brew that is not heavy and will readily accept the addition of dairy (if desired); brisk teas are of necessity well made; the opposite term is soft.
Burnt. Usually considered an off-taste, primarily the result of sloppy manufacture.
Character. A positive term that designates uniqueness of flavor due to terroir or style of manufacture; the opposite term is common.
Clean. Indicates purity of flavor and an absence of any off-tastes; the opposite term is harsh.
Coarse or uneven. An irregular tea, often a blend (mixture of batches) that doesn’t unify properly.
Colory or coppery. Specific to black tea, most commonly used with orthodox leaf, a positive indicator of good pigmentation and general high-quality manufacture.
Common. Plain, timid, and not distinguished; could refer to a bad crop year, poor manufacture, or just a simple tea.
Creamy or creamed. Refers to the precipitate that forms when brewed tea cools; some teas cream more readily than others. An important factor in the marketing of liquid tea beverages.
Dull. May refer to a slightly muddy coloration, a flat taste, or both.
Earthy. A positive attribute in several fine varietals of green, oolong, and pu-erh teas, but the term can also indicate improper storage.
Flat. A generally unexciting, tedious brew; this can be caused by poor firing in the manufacture or from a tea’s being old.
Fresh. Indicates a new-crop tea or proper storage of any tea; not a positive component of a tea that needs maturing.
Fruity or stone fruit. Fruity is a negative term in reference to black tea, as it indicates improper oxidation (firing); stone fruit is the customary positive descriptor for the aromatic quality of standard Formosa oolongs, as a familiar and engaging attribute.
Full. References a positive sensation of body and good heft; indicates a well-made tea.
Green. In reference to black tea that is usually a poorly made tea, hurried in the early processing so it tastes raw or underdeveloped; in green tea vernacular, green indicates a steamed leaf in the Japanese style and is good for the style.
Harsh. Generally negative, indicates hurried manufacture or poor-quality leaf; also sometimes used as the description for tea that has bolted during brewing; the opposite term is clean.
Heavy. The most extreme heft of body.
Light. The most minimal heft of body.
Metallic. Negative in most tea, shows particular soil influence or questionable storage, not usually derived from manufacture; some green teas show a metallic flavor component that can be positive.
Muddy. Showing an excess of particulate in the brew; a generally negative opacity that tends to dullness; may also refer to the cultbrewing style “tea latte” in which CTC tea is brewed “hard” with steam in an espresso machine.
Plain. A brew that is simple and clear but lacks character.
Pointy or point. The extreme of bright, a sharpness and piquancy that may be off-putting; an old-fashioned term used primarily in reference to black tea.
Pungent. References the stronger teas (more usually from the Assam bush) that possess an elevated level of the classic attributes of good black tea.
Raw. Similar to bitter and harsh; generally unpleasant; however, raw is also used to describe the most classic method of producing the compressed forms of pu-erh, such as beeng cha (in this case raw is used interchangeably with green).
Smoky or tarry. When intentional (as with Lapsang Souchong), this term refers to leaf that has been traditionally smoked over charcoal or green wood; when the leaf has not been deliberately smoked, a smoky taste is generally the result of a flaw in manufacture (with a few provincial exceptions).
Soft. Smooth, lush, and subsequently often timid in flavor; not a negative term; the opposite term is brisk.
Stewed. An unpleasant characteristic usually caused by improper (imprecise) manufacture or the primary leaf being held too long before processing; indicates lackluster tea handling during manufacture; can also refer to leaf that has been steeped far too long.
Strength. That je ne sais quoi that references the totality of all the positive attributes of tea in the cup; the sum of the parts.
Tainted. An off-taste introduced to the brewed tea from either improper storage of the leaf adjacent to a strong odor, or water that has a bad taste.
“Tea.” Refers to the flavor that one has in one’s mind that a particular class of brewed tea should taste of—frequently a taste memory from the past; for Westerners it is often the basic flavor of a classic Ceylon tea, in East Asia it could be either sencha (in Japan) or Young Hyson (in Mainland China), and so on.
Thin. A generally negative term that indicates an overly light brew that lacks the expected character of a proper cup of tea; can also be tea that has been brewed incorrectly or intentionally diluted; more negative than mild.
Woody or weedy. A grassy taste that is undesirable in most white, oolong, and black teas but desirable in most green teas, some yellows, and a few raw pu-erhs.
FOOD ADJECTIVES USED TO DESCRIBE THE TASTING QUALITIES OF BREWED TEA
The Master List
Aromatic, Bold, Crisp, Floral, Grassy, Herbaceous, Kelpy, Lingering-finish, Malty, Mineral, Nutty, Piney, Short-finished, Smooth, Spicy, Sweet, Vegetal
DESCRIPTORS BY CLASS OF TEA
Below, for each class of tea, we list the general terms first and then the food adjectives. This list is general but accurate. You may find exceptions to the trends shown here, but so do we and that is the fun of tea!
White Tea Flavor (Taste) Components
White tea is undergoing constant redefinition. As it is described today, there are several flavor profiles that can apply, but in general white tea is smooth and mellow due to its light oxidation while it dries.
General terms
Body—full, Clean, Fresh, Full, Soft
Food adjectives
Floral, Short-finished, Smooth, Sweet
Yellow Tea Flavor (Taste) Components
Yellow tea is processed almost the same as is green tea, but an extra processing step mellows it out and changes its assertiveness. Yellow tea is still very rare and expensive due to a small yield.
General terms
Astringent, Body—medium, Bright, Brisk, Character, Clean, Fresh, Soft
Food adjectives
Aromatic, Short-finished, Smooth
Green Tea Flavor (Taste) Components
Of all the great classes of tea, green tea requires the most creative and descriptive set of terms for describing its flavor components. Because of the subtlety o
f a brewed cup of green tea, it is especially complex and fun to determine the appropriate adjectives to use. There are so many styles of green tea that this list is long, but because green teas differ in their processing, green teas can be as different one to another as they are from black teas.
General terms
Astringent, Body—varies from light to full, Bright, Brisk, Character, Clean, Earthy, Fresh, Full, Green, Soft, Strength, “Tea,” Woody
Food adjectives
Aromatic, Bold, Crisp, Floral, Grassy, Herbaceous, Kelpy, Lingering-finish, Mineral, Nutty, Piney, Short-finished, Smooth, Spicy, Sweet, Vegetal
Oolong Tea Flavor (Taste) Components
With an even greater range of taste profiles than green teas, oolong teas have this potential because their oxidation can vary from 20 to 80 percent, the base leaf can be from so many different subvarieties of Camellia sinensis, and oolongs are traditionally infused many times. We limit this list to the classic flavor profiles.
General terms
Body—full, Bright, Brisk, Character, Clean, Earthy, Fresh, Full, Heavy, Light, Soft, Stone fruit, Strength
Food adjectives
Aromatic, Bold, Floral, Herbaceous, Lingering-finish, Mineral, Short-finished, Smooth, Sweet
Black Tea Flavor (Taste) Components
Black tea is the most common tea consumed in the West. It is often drunk with milk or sweetener. The flavors that you elicit from black tea will vary with the method of brewing and the water used. Experiment, experiment, experiment.
General terms
Astringent, Biscuity, Body—varies from light to full, Bright, Brisk, Character, Clean, Colory, Coppery, Full, Point, Pungent, Smoky, Soft, Strength, “Tea”
Food adjectives
Aromatic, Bold, Crisp, Lingering-finish, Malty, Nutty, Short-finished, Smooth, Spicy, Sweet
Pu-erh Tea Flavor (Taste) Components
Pu-erh, the only truly fermented tea, varies incredibly because of the existence of both loose-leaf and compressed styles, and its great variation in age. You will discover your own way with these teas. Pu-erh’s flavor components are among the most exotic in the world of tea and are well worth exploring.
General terms
Biscuity, Body—full, Bright, Brisk, Character, Clean, Colory/coppery, Earthy, Fruity, Full, Heavy, Point, Pungent, Soft, Strength, Woody
Food adjectives
Aromatic, Floral, Herbaceous, Lingering-finish, Musty, Nutty, Short-finished, Smooth, Sweet
The Story of Tea Page 47
