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Glossary
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A - D |
E - H |
I - P |
Q - Z
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Earl Grey
A black China tea treated with the oil of bergamot which gives the tea a scented aroma and taste. It was said to have been blended for and named after the 2nd Earl Grey when he was prime minister of Britain by a Chinese mandarin after the success of a British diplomatic mission to China.
Earthy
Normally caused by damp storage of tea but can also describe a taste that is sometimes 'climatically inherent' in teas from certain regions.
Empty
A liquor lacking fullness. No substance.
English Breakfast tea
A name for the tea blend which originally applied to China Congou tea in the United States of America. In Britain it was a name applied to a blend of teas from India and Sri Lanka; today it is used to include blends of black teas producing a full-bodied strong flavoured colourful tea.
Estate
A tea growing property or holding that may include more than one garden under the same managership or ownership. In the past tea estates where known as plantations.
Even
Teas true to their grade, consisting of pieces of leaf of fairly even size.
Flaky
Flat open pieces of leaf often light in texture.
Flat
Not fresh, usually due to age of the tea tends to lose its characteristics and taste with age, unlike some wines which age, unlike some wines which mature with age.
Flavor
A most desirable extension of character caused by slow growth at high altitudes. Relatively rare.
Formosa
An island off the Chinese coast formally known as Taiwan which produces Oolong, Pouchong and black teas made by the Orthodox method.
Fruity
Can be due to overfermenting during manufacture and/or bacterial infection before firing or drying, which gives the tea an over ripe taste. Unlike wines this is not a desirable taste in tea.
Full
A good combination of strength and color.
Garden
The name originally given to tea growing plantations or estates. The Japanese cultivated tea gardens within their temples and palace grounds and had copied this idea from the Chinese. Today, the term estate has tended to replace the word garden but teas grown on such tend to identify fine harvests produced solely from that estate - hence a single estate tea. Tea garden was also used to describe London pleasure gardens in England mainly during the 18th century where tea was served to both sexes.
Gone off
A flat or old tea. Often denotes a high moisture content.
Government Standards
Applies to teas being imported into the United States of America which comply with the standards of purity, quality and fitness for consumption as defined by the tea examiners under the Food act. Drug Administration of the USA Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
Grade
Term used to describe a tea leaf or particle size of leaf. Green Tea that is withered, immediately steamed or heated to kill the enzymes and then rolled and dried. It has a light appearance and flavour.
Grainy
Describes primary grades of well-made CTC teas such as Pekoe dust.
Green
When referring to black tea it means the leaf has been underfermented or alternatively it can be leaf plucked from immature bushes and will often, when liquored, result in a raw or light liquor. Can also be caused by poor rolling during making or manufacture.
Green
When referring to black tea liquor denotes an immature 'raw' character. This is mostly due to under fermenting and sometimes to under withering during manufacture.
Grey
Caused by too much abrasion during sorting.
Gunpowder
Normally a China tea, but today could be any young tea, which is rolled into a small pellet-size ball then dried. The finished tea has a greyish appearance not unlike gunpowder in colour which is how the tea gets its name.
Gyokuro
A high-grade Japanese tea produced by a special process in the Uji district of Japan. It is made from tea grown on shaded bushes.
Handkerchief Tea
A tea which was grown on Formosa and which gets its name from the large silk handkerchiefs that Chinese tea growers used to use to collect their very fine tippy teas.
Hard
A very pungent liquor, a desirable quality in tea.
Harsh
A taste generally due to the leaf being under withered during manufacture resulting in a very rough taste.
Heavy
A thick, strong and color liquor with limited briskness.
High Tea
The name given to a meal served late afternoon-early evening which is a mixture of afternoon tea and dinner. The meal comprises a main entree dish sometimes a pudding or dessert served with bread and butter, cakes and tea. High tea was the main meal for farming and working classes in Britain in the past.
High-fired
Over fired or dried, but not bakey or burned.
Hoochow
A China green tea.
Hunan
One of the tea growing provinces of China.
Hyson
A type of China green tea formerly drunk exclusively in Europe and often the name given there to the tea drink. Young Hyson is this type of tea which is plucked early.
Indonesia
Producer of teas which are bright and brisk.
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