5 Ways to Judge Quality in Tea

Introduction

I’m self-taught when it comes to tea. I write reviews based on knowledge and experience that I’ve personally acquired. Personally, I think doing things your own way is fine when enjoying yourself, but this is an opportunity to reflect on my experiences with tea up until now.

When I wanted to learn a little about proper theory, I did some research and discovered a YouTube video from a London-based tea shop called Mei Leaf. Though I’ve never tried Mei Leaf’s tea, the shop’s owner seems to have been buying tea for many years. I feel that his way of evaluating tea is a helpful example of a professional method, so I want to share my notes from the video below. I’m not particularly skilled at English, so please keep in mind the possibility that I might have misunderstood something while you read

them. If you’re interested, please watch the original video.

1. Appearance of the Leaves

This is the easiest way to check the quality of the leaves, but sometimes it’s used to trick people by making low-quality leaves appear high-quality.

Evaluation Points:

Are the leaves whole? (Not broken?)

Are the leaf shapes consistent? (For example, not that they’re all buds, but rather, even if many parts of the leaf are used, is there consistency within that variety?)

Is the color consistent? (Either all the same coloration, or if there’s a variety, is there consistency in the shades?)

Examples:

1. Japanese green tea fired in a pan after withering.

2. Taiwanese Mingjian Oolong

These two teas have relatively similar traits, but you can guess what kind of leaves were used and how they were made by observing them when dry and after being steeped.

2. Smell of the Leaves

Because the leaves’ aroma becomes prominent when warm and wet, they are judged while wet instead of dry.

Method: Using a gaiwan, steep the leaves for a very short period of time, and then smell the lid and smell the leaves themselves.

Evaluation Points:

Aroma’s deepness and complexity

Aroma’s balance

How long the aroma lasts (After the leaves become cold again, does the aroma persist?)

3. Fragrance and Taste of the Liquor

Method: Slurp the tea, swish the liquor around your mouth, and breathe out through your nose. After swallowing, notice the liquor’s minerality and composition.

Evaluation Points:

Can you sense distinct characteristics?

Is it well balanced?

Do you like it?

4. Mouthfeel and Body of the Liquor

The mouthfeel and body are clear indicators of the tea’s quality.

They are deeply connected to the tea's terroir and soil

Evaluation Points:

- Thick or thin? (For example, like syrup)

- Soft or hard?

- Astringency? (a feeling of dryness)

- Feeling of coating the throat after swallowing?

- Is the mouthfeel long-lasting?

5. Lingering Flavor, Aftertaste

Method: Judge it by drinking multiple sips, if possible over the course of multiple infusions.

Drink it and wait a bit, and evaluate the aftertaste that comes from the throat into the nose. What kind of aroma is there, and in what ways does it change?

Evaluation Points:

- How long the aroma and flavor persist

- How the aroma and flavor change

- How does any bitterness or astringency dissipate?

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IG: grandguignol