Whether you are new to the tea scene or a veteran of tea, it’s important to learn your tea jargon. I am sure many of you have read the description of a tea and often wondered what a flush or a tisane was. Today we finally explore the meaning of some of these terms. Learn a few of these and you’ll not only broaden your tea drinking horizons but you will also gain new knowledge.
Blend: A mixture of teas grown from two or more different regions. Many common teas are made up of different teas to reach a certain flavor profile.
Estate: A garden where tea is grown, or what is known in the tea world as an “estate”. Examples of tea estates include Tarajulie and Mim.
Flush: A point in growing season for an entire regrowth of a tea plant. It flushes out the system of the old plant and allows it to start anew. The first flush is the very first picking of the new plant in the new harvest season, second flush being second pick, and so on. There is a certain timing to the tea leaves so they must be picked at this time for the best flavor. Darjeeling is a perfect tea, known for having several flushes to choose from. For example, the second flush for Darjeeling is from late May to late June.
Tisane: The proper term for herbal tea. Tisanes are usually made of flowers or leaves, such as chamomile.
Oxidation: The browning of tea leaves, causing a chemical reaction in the tea that alters the taste. It is another way term for fermentation, which takes place once the tea leaf has withered and rolling when it comes to dark teas.
Organoleptic: A way for tea tasters to use all five senses to assess the quality of tea. The look of color, sound of the tea when it pours, taste of the tea, the feel in your mouth, and the smell of the tea’s flavors are some good uses of the Organoleptic term.
Join us next time for more tea terms! What terms do you want to learn about?
-CD
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