Beginner's Guide to Tea: All the Terms You Need to Know

What exactly is that ancient tea? Was it made in the ancient times? And what full bodied means? Do you sometimes feel lost when learning or reading about tea? Or lack words to describe your tea drinking experience? We made a list of the most common tea terminology you might encounter during your first few years of exploring tea. From types of teas, tea cultivars and tippy oolongs, getting to know the basic vocabulary means you will never again feel like a stranger in the world of tea.

Tea types and cultivars

Ancient tea – tea harvested from old tea trees, usually pu’er. It can be both freshly harvested and aged. Artisan tea – hand-made loose leaf tea. In broader sense it includes all higher quality loose leaf tea that was made even partially with hand, and sometimes even other higher quality loose leaf teas. Bancha – Japanese green tea made from mature tea leaves. Breakfast tea – strong blends with recognizable malty flavor suitable for drinking with milk and strong enough to be taken with meal. Black tea – fully oxidized tea made from Camellia Sinensis plant Camellia Sinensis – a tea plant used for making all real teas – white, yellow, green, oolong, black and dark Camellia Sinensis var assamica – tea variety mostly used in India, especially for Assam black tea Camellia Sinensis var sinensis – tea variety mostly used in China and Japan, especially for white, green and oolong tea Dark Tea – Chinese tea type also called fermented tea. Flavor is achieved through natural or artificial fermentation. The most popular type is Pu Erh. Decaf tea – tea with zero or less than 2-3 mg of caffeine per cup Formosa oolong – any oolong tea grown in Taiwan, but the term usually describes more oxidized dark oolongs Green tea – unoxidized type of tea made by steaming or pan-frying to stop the oxidation and preserve nutrients, color and flavor. High Mountain tea – high mountain or gao shan tea refers to Taiwanese teas grown on high altitudes of 1000 meters or above. There are several high mountain or gao shan teas, with most popular being Ali Shan, Li Shan and Da Yu Ling. Other countries grow teas on high altitudes too, but they are usually described with different words – such as high-grown Sri Lankan tea. Kombucha – a sugary fermented drink made with real tea and bacteria Oolong tea – oolong or wulong, a semi-oxidized tea type made from Camellia sinesis Red Tea – name for Chinese black tea, a literal translation from the Chinese word hong cha Real Tea – any tea made from the leaves of Camellia sinesis Tea cultivar – a sub-group of tea plants within one variety. There are hundreds of different tea cultivars in the world, each with specific flavor, color, leaf size and shape and other characteristics Terroir – unique environment where some tea is grown, includes climate, soil, weather conditions Pu’erh – type of Chinese dark or fermented tea grown exclusively in Yunnan Raw Pu’erh – Pu’er intended for natural aging or fermentation with distinctive flavor – first brisker and lightly astringent, later sweeter and mellow, with brigher yellow color Ripe Pu’erh – Artificially fermented pu’erh with dark red color and usually smaller leaves Scented tea – tea leaves scented with flowers that can be removed once the process is finished, leaving only the scented pure leaves Single Origin Tea – tea leaves grown and harvested from one tea farm Tea Blend – any mixture of teas, from different tea farms or countries that are not single origin. This includes single origin teas blended with fruits, spices and herbs. Tisane – herbal tea not made from Camellia sinensis White tea – the least processed tea type, made by withering and drying tea leaves Wild tea – tea from a wild tea bush, grown naturally rather than cultivated on tea plantations Yellow tea – tea type made using special process that stops the oxidation and result in a light fermentation

Leaf Grades and flushes

First Flush – first spring tea of the year, term usually related to Indian and Sri Lankan teas Broken Leaf – a lower grade of tea that can still be of premium quality, that contains broken leaves and results in a stronger and sometimes bitter brew Broken Orange Pekoe – Same as orange pekoe, but with broken leaves CTC – crush-tear-curl style of tea with small broken leaves, usually used for black Assam teas Dust – dust left after producing tea, usually used for tea bags Fannings – small tea leaf particles left after producing tea, usually used for tea bags Orange Pekoe – main tea grade, mostly with Indian and Ceylon black tea, usually contains first few leaves and no buds Orthodox Tea – tea made using traditional methods, usually Indian or Sri Lankan tea Pre-Qing Ming tea – the very first harvest of Chinese green tea Second Flush – teas harvested after the first spring flush, usually in late spring or early summer Shincha - first spring harvest of Japanese sencha. It’s never used for later harvests or with teas from other countries. Silver Needle – silver needle teas are all white teas made from pure tea buds. They can come from China, India, Sri Lanka and other countries. Whole Leaf – usually the highest grade of tea that contains full unbroken leaves and gives a lighter and less astringent brew

Brewing tea

Chasen – Japanese bamboo tea whish used for preparing matcha Chawan – Japanese tea bowl for drinking matcha tea Chinese tea tray – a tray usually made of bamboo used in gong fu tea brewing, with a compartment for waste water Gaiwan – Chinese tea vessel similar shaped as a cup with a lid Infusion – a drink made by infusing teas or tisanes in water Kettle – used for boiling water, rather than brewing tea Kyusu – Japanese teapot, often with a side handle Mug brewing – brewing tea by adding tea leaves in a mug, pouring in water and drinking without removing the leaves Multiple steeping technique – a way of brewing tea using short steeping time and re-using the same leaves for at least 3 times Teapot – used for brewing tea, not for boiling the water Washing the leaves – a very short first infusion that removes the impurities and is discarded Yunomi – a type of Japanese tea cups for drinking sencha

Tea Tasting

Aftertaste – sweet taste that appears after drinking some quality teas Aroma – fragrance of dry leaf, wet leaf and infusion Astringency – a feeling of dryness in the mouth caused by some teas, usually appreciated Bitterness – a bitter feeling of over-brewed or low quality tea, usually not appreciated EGCG – the most important and abundant catechin in green tea Flavor – taste of the tea liquor Full bodied – term often used with strong black teas that have a thicker texture and usually goes well with milk, for example Irish Breakfast L-theanine – an amino-acid responsible for the sweet savory flavor Liquors of tea – brewed tea. Malty – flavor related to mostly Indian Assam teas Umami – umami, or the sixth flavor is a savory flavor recognizable in Japanese teas, especially gyokuro. It’s best extracted with cooler water. Vegetal – word often used for steamed Japanese tea, that have a very fresh green and herbaceous flavor