Drinking tea is such a relaxing and habitual part of our day that we often forget to actually enjoy it. A common symptom of modern day life is operating on auto-pilot, not truly interacting with our surroundings, and this is especially true when we are drinking tea.

In this article we will talk about how to get the most out of good tea. Regular practice of focused tastings will increase our appreciation of our daily tea, exercise the brain, act as mindful meditation, and sharpen our senses. Not only this, but we will also discover a wide world of exciting flavours that tea has to offer.

When tasting tea, we should engage all of our senses. Good tea exhibits a natural character, this is the joy of tea. Its natural characteristics are a result of the environmental conditions it was grown under, and the skill and labour that is poured into the craft of fine tea. Good tea is apparent to all those who drink it, but by focusing on the experience of tasting the tea, we can heighten our appreciation of the teas natural character.

Let’s look at how professional tea tasters assess a tea, and what we can take away to apply to our daily lives. Incorporating some of these elements into our tea ritual can enrich our lives and give us a sense of calm that comes from studying the bounties of nature.

Study the Leaves

The first step of tea tasting is studying the leaves. There is much that a professional tea taster can learn from this. The type, grade, processing, storage and leaf quality can all be determined by looking at the leaf. The colour, size of the leaf, texture and presence of buds (or ‘tips’) are all noted. This step is not necessary at home, but it is always worth looking at the dry tea. It is often beautiful, and if you buy good tea, it is amazing to think how much skill and labour it took to produce these humble leaves.

The liquor (that’s what we call the infused liquid)

Next we look at the colour, clarity, body (how thick the liquid is) and shine. A good cup of tea is clear, bright and reminiscent of a jewel. Ask yourself to describe the colour, try to go beyond ‘brown’ and pinpoint what shade. Is it honey, amber, caramel, leather…?

Aroma

Probably the most important element of tasting any drink is the aroma. This might seem like an unusual statement, but taste is largely influenced by smell (up to 90% of taste is perceived through smell), and the aroma informs the brain what we are drinking before it even reaches our lips. So take the time to smell the leaves and the liquor (the smell of the wet leaves is one of the most rewarding benefits of drinking loose leaf tea). What does the smell remind you of? Does it make you feel a particular way? How many aromas can you identify? Smell is closely linked to memory, so allow the aroma to bring to mind objects or places from your past.

To get you started, here are some broad categories that smells might fall under: Plants or ‘green’ smells, floral, nutty, sweet, earthy, mineral or marine, fruity and even spicy.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, and for each category you should try and go beyond – for example, if it smells fruity, what type of fruit, is it dried or fresh, jammy or vibrant?

Taste

Taste is comprised of what we are detecting from our olfactory gland, at the back of our nose, and what our tongue is sensing. The tongue detects the five basic flavours, sweet, salty, acidic, bitter and umami, while the olfactory gland detects aroma – combine the two and that is our perception of taste.

Professional tea tasters make sure that all these senses are being put to use when tasting by drinking in a specific, deliberate way – similar to tasting wine. Firstly, inhale, then slurp the tea, this mixes oxygen with the tea which helps to taste better. Then exhale through the nose, encouraging the aroma to reach the olfactory gland before swallowing.

Feel

This final point is an important part of the tasting process and consists of two parts. First, feel the liquid in your mouth. The texture and feel are extremely important in a good cup of tea. Different teas might be thick, drying, light or rounded. Secondly, the aftertaste, or finish. Notice how your mouth and throat feel after you have swallowed. Some teas stay with you long after you have swallowed. A warming sensation perhaps.

Finally, take this moment to pause and check in with yourself. Taking the time to really enjoy a cup of tea is a form of self-care, and is sorely needed in our hectic lives. Of course we don’t have to pretend we are a professional tea taster every time we have a cup of tea, but it can be fun to have a go. If we apply the principles of attentive tasting to our daily tea, it will certainly make our drinking experience even more delicious and rewarding.

The overwhelming majority of us are drinking a product created with profit in mind, not flavour. Newby Teas was created as a reaction to this trend in the tea industry. We are not for profit, instead we exist to show the world just how good this wonderful beverage can be, and how deserving it is of our attention and appreciation. All profits go to charity, allowing us to focus wholly on the pursuit of the craft of fine tea, and giving our customers the ultimate cup.