Tea 201 - Terminology - Common Tea Words

At this point, you should have a good grasp on the idea of tea… now we should take a few moments to give you a bank of words. This should help you in speaking the language of tea:

• Antioxidant: a compound that slows the process of oxidation.
• Assam: A major tea-growing region in India.
• Astringency: A bite (or bitter taste) caused by some teas.
• Autumnal: Tea created later in the season, like Darjeeling.
• Bergamot: Citrus oil from the Bergamot orange used in Earl Grey.
• Black Tea: Fully oxidized Camellia sinensis plant.
• Blend: Method that allows for consistency among teas.
• Body: Term used to denote the strength of a brewed tea.
• Brick Tea: Tea that has been steamed and compressed into bricks, like Pu-erh.
• Caffeine: An alkaloid that serves as a stimulant and diuretic in the Central Nervous System.
• Catechins: Polyphenols found in tea that also act as antioxidants.
• Cha: Romanized spelling of Japanese/Chinese character for tea.
• Chai: The word for tea on the Indian subcontinent.
• Chesty: A term that denotes the odor absorbed by tea from the wood of a traditional storage chest.
• CTC: Acronym for Cut, Tear, and Curl – a machine process that allows for complete oxidation.
• Darjeeling Tea: Tea grown in the Darjeeling hills of India.
• Fannings: Small particles of tea used in tea bags.
• Fermentation: Oxidation.
• Firing: The process where teas are dried to stop any further enzymic changes.
• Flush: Refers to the four separate plucking seasons throughout the year.
• Genmaicha: Green tea blended with roasted rice.
• Gong fu: These words mean skill and patience. It is a style of brewing tea.
• Gunpowder: Green tea rolled into tight pellets.
• Guywan: A traditional Chinese lidded tea cup that also has a saucer.
• Pekoe: A term that describes the largest leaves used to produce tea.
• Plucking: The process of harvesting and collecting tea.
• Polyphenols: Antioxidant compounds found in tea.
• Rolling: The process where withered leaves are rolled to initiate enzymic oxidation.
• Tippy: Term that denotes tea with white or golden tips.
• Winey: Mellow quality, characteristic of Keemun teas that have been aged between six months to a year.
• Withering: Operation that removes water from the tea plants.
• Yixing: A region of China noted for its purple clay, which is used to produce the distinctive unglazed teapots used for Gong Fu style brewing.

This is a nice and quick reference guide into the language of tea. Was this helpful?