Taste is not something you either have or don’t have. It’s a sense that can be trained.
You don’t need fancy gear or years of training to get started. A handful of different teas, water, and a bit of willingness to pay attention will help you learn to distinguish between teas in ways you haven’t before.
Prepare Your Space
Ideally, try to keep everything the same for the teas you’re comparing.
Use the same vessel or cup when you’re brewing several teas side by side. Use similar quantities of tea leaves and water.
Get Rid of Extraneous Scents
It’s hard to taste things if your nose is overwhelmed by other scents. Don’t eat or drink anything with strong odors. Don’t wear perfume. Put out no candles.
A quiet space can help you focus on the tea.
Inspect the Dry Leaves
Look at the tea before you add water.
What does it look like? What does it feel like? What does it smell like?
Consider:
- Shape
- Size
- Color
- Texture
- Aroma
While the dry leaves won’t tell you everything you need to know about a tea, loose tea leaves can give you hints about how the tea was made.
Inspect the Wet Leaves
Once the tea has brewed, inspect the leaves once again.
In some teas, the leaves expand dramatically after being soaked. In others, they retain their original shape. The aroma might be stronger.
Note the Differences
Examining the tea before and after brewing can help you appreciate the extent of the transformation that occurs.
It’s a subtle point, but it adds another layer to your sensory engagement with tea.
Smell the Tea
Much of the flavor we think we’re getting is actually coming from the nose.
Rather than taking a sip right away, hold the cup close and inhale gently. Try to articulate what you’re smelling without getting caught up in trying to find fancy descriptors.
Is it floral, fruity, grassy, roasted, woody, earthy, sweet?
Consider Multiple Scent Layers
Sometimes tea has multiple scent profiles. The initial nose might be very different from what you find after letting it cool for a bit.
Be patient and sniff it a couple times.
Take a Sip
When you do drink it, resist the urge to say whether you like it or not. Instead, pay attention to what you’re finding.
Is the tea light or heavy? Sweet or bitter? Green or toasted?
Think About Mouthfeel
Tea can feel surprisingly varied. It might be light and crisp, while others may feel smooth, creamy, thick, or drying.
This feeling is sometimes called the mouthfeel.
Notice Astringency
Some teas have a slightly drying or puckering effect on the mouth. It’s not quite bitter, though.
A little bit of astringency can contribute structure and freshness, while excessive astringency may make the tea feel harsh.
Brewing Changes the Astringency
Temperature and steeping time affect the level of astringency.
If the tea seems too drying, adjust your brewing before you decide you don’t like it.
Feel the Aftertaste
When you finish swallowing, wait a few seconds.
What’s left in your mouth?
Some teas have a short, clean finish, while others have a sweet, floral, spicy, or earthy aftertaste.
Notice the Finish
If you’re comparing two teas, the aftertaste can be one of the most obvious differences.
Notice the length of the finish and how it changes.
Taste Several Teas Together
Tasting teas next to each other is one of the quickest ways to improve your palate.
Rather than drinking one tea today and another tomorrow, brew two or three teas at once.
Brew them under similar conditions and compare.
Start with Different Teas
For example, you could compare a light green tea, a floral oolong, and a strong black tea.
The differences between these will be more obvious than if you compare two teas with similar profiles.
Keep a Tea Journal
Writing things down helps build a vocabulary and strengthens your memory.
For each tea, take notes:
Tea: The name and type of tea
Aroma: What does it smell like?
Flavor: What do you taste?
Mouthfeel: Does it feel light, smooth, drying, thick, etc.?
Aftertaste: Does it have a short, long, sweet, earthy, floral, etc., aftertaste?
Overall impression: What did you notice most?
You don’t need to write a detailed, professional tea review.
Don’t Look for a “Right” Answer
Tea tasting is a subjective experience.
You might taste peach, while another taster notes honey or flowers. Both experiences can be correct.
The point isn’t to guess what the producer had in mind.
Go With What You Notice
Describing your actual experience is better than trying to make yourself taste something that was mentioned on the label.
Your palate will become more accurate over time.
Summary
Tasting tea is really about paying attention.
Examine the leaves, smell the aroma, sip the tea, notice the texture, and observe the aftertaste. Then compare the tea to other teas and your past experience.
With time and practice, you’ll begin to detect the subtler differences.
And eventually, even a simple cup of tea becomes a complex, memorable sensory experience.