A

Adaptogen: Natural substances that help the body adapt to stress and promote balance, often found in herbal teas.

Afternoon Tea (下午茶): A British tradition of serving tea, sandwiches, and scones in the afternoon, often accompanied by social conversation.

Aged Tea: Tea that has been stored for a period to develop complex flavors, often associated with pu-erh.

Alkali Tea: A green tea processed with alkali to reduce bitterness.

Aroma: A usually pleasant smell; one of the most prized characteristics of tea.

Assam: A black tea grown in the Northeast region of India, known for its robust and full-bodied flavor.

Assam CTC: Assam tea is processed using the cut, tear, and curl method.

Assam Golden Tip: A type of Assam tea characterized by rich, malty, full-bodied flavor from the world’s largest tea-growing area.

Astringent: A tasting term indicating a pungent flavor caused by the presence of tannins.

Autumnal: A term used to describe the earthy flavors of fall.

B

Baihao: The highest grade of white tea, consisting of unopened buds.

Bi Luo Chun: A Chinese green tea known for its delicate flavor and snail-shaped leaves.

Blend: A mixture of teas, including flowers, herbs, and spices.

BLT (British Legacy Teas): Teas produced in former British colonies used traditional British methods.

Body: A descriptive term for fullness in the mouth (mouthfeel).

Biscuity: A tasting term referring to a well-fired black tea with a flavor reminiscent of baked goods.

Black Tea: Tea derived from Camellia sinensis, characterized by withering, rolling, oxidizing, and drying.

Blooming tea: A type of tea that focuses on the visual beauty of the tea, rather than the taste.

Bright: A tasting term indicating a  tart, crisp, or fresh, flavor.

Brisk: A tasting term used to describe an astringent tea, often associated (briskness).

Broken:  Torn or broken tea leaves, that still retain their leaf-like shape and appearance.

Broken Orange Pekoe (BOP): A grade of tea where the leaves are broken to achieve a bolder flavor, commonly found in Breakfast blends.

Bud: The young, unfurled tea leaf found at the tip of a new growth stem.

C

Camellia sinensis: The evergreen plant whose leaves and buds are used to produce tea; many varieties exist.

Caffeine: A natural stimulant found in tea, coffee, and cacao plants.

Ceylon Tea: Tea grown in Sri Lanka.

Chai: The Indian word for tea, often indicating a blend of black tea and spices.

Chamomile Citrus: A soothing herbal tea blend featuring chamomile with hints of orange and lemon.

Clay Teapot: A teapot created from natural clay, valued for its heat retention and ability to enhance flavor.

Colored Clays: Different types of clay used for teapots.

Cold Brew: A method of brewing tea in cold water, resulting in a smoother flavor.

Congou: A type of black tea from China known for its strong flavor and dark color.

D

Da Hong Pao: A rare and expensive Chinese oolong tea.

Darjeeling: Tea sourced from the Darjeeling region in India, known for its light hue and complex flavor.

Decaffeinated Tea: Tea that has had most of its caffeine removed.

Dian Hong: A black tea from Yunnan, China.

Dongfang Meiren: A Taiwanese oolong tea known for its floral aroma and sweet taste.

Dust: Smallest and lowest grade of tea, made from broken tea leaves or particles. It’s often used in commercial tea bags.

Dull: Describing a tea liquor color that is not clear or bright.

E

Earl Grey Decaf: Ceylon black tea combined with bright citrus notes of bergamot, minus the caffeine.

Earthy: Flavor found in dark fermented teas, some herbal teas, and black teas, with notes of earth, moss, or pine wood.

EGCG: An abundant catechin (antioxidant) found in tea, especially green tea.

English Breakfast: A popular black tea blend typically consisting of Assam and Sri Lanka teas.

Estate: A plantation or garden where tea is grown.

Espresso Tea: A concentrated tea made by steeping tea leaves under high pressure.

F

Fair Trade: A program aimed at providing financial assistance to tea workers, ensuring better living conditions.

Fannings: A low grade of tea consisting of small pieces left over from sorting.

Fermentation: A chemical transformation that alters tea leaves, mellowing their taste.

Fine: High-quality tea.

Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (FTGFOP): The highest quality grade of tea featuring many tips.

First Flush: The first harvest of tea leaves in a season, typically occurring in the spring. The leaves picked during this time are considered to be of the highest quality and are often prized for their delicate flavor and aroma.

Flavor: The characteristic taste of tea combines aroma and taste experience.

Floral: Flavor often found in oolong teas, with notes ranging from light to intense.

Flowery: A tea with a floral taste or aroma.

Flowery Orange Pekoe (FOP): This is a high-quality tea with large leaves and few tips.

Flush: This refers to the time of year when teas are harvested. There are four main flushes.

Formosa: This is tea grown on the island of Taiwan.

Fruity: Flavor found in some black teas and darker oolong teas, with notes of ripe plum, peach, grape, or passion fruit.

Full: This describes a strong tea with good color and no bitterness.

Full Leaf: Larger tea leaves can have a more mellow and elegant flavor.

G

Gaiwan: This is a traditional Chinese tea vessel used for brewing and serving tea.

Golden Tip: This is a sign of delicate plucking, marked by young tea buds stained golden during oxidation.

Green Tea: A tea characterized by a process that stops oxidation to retain its green color.

Gunpowder: This is a type of green tea rolled into small pellets resembling gunpowder grains.

Gyokuro: This is a high-grade Japanese green tea possessing a deep green color and smooth, distinctive sweet, umami flavor and vibrant green color. It’s produced by shading the tea plants for the final weeks before harvest, which increases the chlorophyll content and gives the leaves a deep green color.

H

Hancha: This is a Japanese green tea made from steamed tea leaves that are then pan-fired.

Heady: This describes strong or potent teas.

Herbal Tea: This refers to infusions of herbs, spices, fruits, or flowers, usually caffeine-free.

Houjicha: This is a Japanese roasted green tea with a nutty flavor.

Huicha: This is a Chinese tea made from fermented tea leaves.

Hot Brew: This is the process of brewing tea with hot water.

I

Iron Goddess of Mercy: This is a Chinese oolong tea known for its sweet and floral aroma.

Infuser: This is a device used to steep tea leaves without using tea bags.

J

Jasmine: This refers to tea scented with jasmine blossoms, typically based on green tea.

Jasmine Downy Pearls: This is a unique tea made from young leaves rolled into pearls and scented with jasmine.

Jasmine Tea: This is a green or white tea scented with jasmine flowers.

K

Keemun: This is a fine grade of black tea from China with a complex character.

L

L-Theanine: This is an amino acid found in tea that may help focus the mind and alleviate stress.

Lapsang Souchong: This is a smoky black tea from China known for its distinct flavor. Lapsang Souchong originated from Tongmu Village in Fujian Province, China.  This tea is widely considered to be the first commercially produced black tea thereby making Tong Mu the birthplace of this tea style.

Light: This describes a tea liquor that lacks depth of color.

Liquor: This refers to the liquid from steeping tea leaves in water.

Longjing Dragonwell: This is a renowned Chinese green tea with high quality.

Lot: This refers to teas offered under a single mark at any tea auction.

M

Marrakesh Mint: This is a blend of Chinese Gunpowder green tea and Moroccan mint.

Masala Chai: This is a blend of Assam and South Indian teas with spices.

Matcha: This is a powdered Japanese green tea used in traditional ceremonies.

Matcha Ceremony (茶道): This is a Japanese tea ceremony focused on mindfulness and harmony.

Matcha Latte: This is a latte made with matcha green tea powder.

Milk Tea: This is a tea drink made with tea and milk, often with added sweeteners and flavorings.

Mineral: Found in some oolong teas, especially Wuyi rock tea.

Moringa Tea: This is an herbal tea made from the moringa tree leaves, known for its health benefits.

Mouthfeel: A descriptive term for fullness in the mouth (mouthfeel).

Muscatel: This is a flavor characteristic reminiscent of muscat grapes, often found in Darjeeling teas.

N

Nectar: This is a sweet and fragrant essence derived from tea or herbs.

Nutty/Toasty: Common in pan-fried green teas and oolong tea, with notes of baked bread, butter, milk, or chestnuts.

O

Oolong Tea: A partially oxidized tea ranging between green and black tea.

Organic: This refers to teas grown without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.

Orange Pekoe (OP): This is a grade indicating high-quality black tea made from whole tea leaves.

Osmanthus:  A flowering plant from the Olive family that is native to Eastern Asia.

Oversteeped: This refers to tea brewed too long, resulting in a bitter taste.

Oxygen: This is a chemical compound present in tea that influences the oxidation process.

P

Puerh: This is a fermented tea that improves with age, often sold in cakes.

Puerh Tea (普洱茶): This is a fermented tea from Yunnan, China.

Pungent: This describes a strong and sharp flavor.

Pungency: This is a flavor descriptor for strong, spicy teas.

Q-R

Refreshing: This describes teas that are invigorating and uplifting.

Red Tea: This term is often used for rooibos, a caffeine-free herbal tea from South Africa.

Rooibos: This is a naturally caffeine-free herbal tea from South Africa.

Rooibos Chai: This is a blend of rooibos and spices.

Rolling: This is the process of breaking tea leaves to enhance flavor.

S

Savory: A savory or umami flavor, similar to salty seaweed, is mostly found in shaded and steamed green teas.

Scented Tea: This refers to tea infused with flowers or other aromatic ingredients.

Sencha: This is a popular Japanese green tea known for its grassy flavor.

Shou Pu-erh: This is a fermented pu-erh tea that has undergone a quick fermentation process.

Silver Needle: This is a premium white tea made from young tea buds.

Smoky: This describes teas with a flavor reminiscent of smoke.

Spicy: Flavor in some oolong teas, especially bug-bitter teas, with a lighter spicy note compared to masala chai.

Spring Picked: A term used to describe tea leaves that are harvested in the spring. This is typically the first flush of the season and is considered to produce the highest quality tea.

Steeping: This is the process of soaking tea leaves in water to extract flavors.

Superfood Tea: This refers to teas that offer health benefits due to high antioxidant levels.

Sweet: Flavor often found in black teas and oolong teas, with notes of malty, cocoa, chocolate, or honey.

T

Tannins: Compounds in tea that contribute to astringency and flavor.

Tea sommelier: An individual specializing in tea, akin to a wine sommelier.

Tea Tasting: The practice of sampling teas to evaluate flavor, aroma, and quality.

Tea Tree: A plant related to the Camellia sinensis, often used for essential oils.

Terpenes:   Organic compounds that give plants their distinctive scents and flavors.  Terpenes  also offer a range of potential therapeutic effects.

Tie Guan Yin: A famous Chinese oolong tea known for its floral aroma.

Tisanes: Herbal infusions that do not contain tea leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant.

Tippy: Tea with a high proportion of tips, the youngest leaves, and buds.

U

Umami: A savory taste often associated with certain teas, particularly green teas.

Uva: A region in Sri Lanka known for its distinctive flavored black teas.

V

Vegetal: Describes a green or herbaceous flavor, often found in green tea.

W

White Tea: Made from young tea leaves and buds, lightly processed to maintain their natural flavor.

Wulong: A term used to refer to oolong tea.

Wuyi Rock Tea: A type of oolong tea from the Wuyi Mountains in China, known for its mineral-rich flavor.

Yin Zhen (Silver Needle): A high-quality white tea made from the buds of the tea plant.

X

Xing Ren Cha: A Chinese tea with a nutty flavor.

Y

Yunnan: A province in China known for its diverse and flavorful teas, including black and pu-erh teas.

Yixing: A region in China known for its purple clay teapots, prized for their ability to enhance the flavor of tea over time.

Yixing Teapot: Yixing teapots, known as “zisha hu” (purple sand pots) in Chinese, have a long history dating back about 5,000 to 6,000 years. The city of Yixing, located in southern Jiangsu Province, is where this ceramic tradition originated. 

Yixing clay is categorized into several main types:

• Purple clay (zi ni)
• Green clay (lu ni)
• Red clay (hong ni)
• Duan clay (duan ni)

Z

Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong: A Chinese black tea, also known as Lapsang Souchong, with a smoky aroma.

Zisha:  A clay used to make teapots and pottery.