TEA—MINOLOGY
People’s taste palates are becoming even more sophisticated beyond basic flavours, and to keep up with their needs even the world of tea is beginning to update its image and offer more varied and unique ways to engage the senses. The tea revolution is beginning!
COHN&WOLFE
Jess Lilly, Leigh-Anne Leonce, Claire Cowling: Twiningsmedia@cohnwolfe.com
TWININGS CONNECTIONS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Lindsey Williams: Lindsey.williams@twinings.com
So how did you find your daily morning Assam, were you organoleptic with it? Did you find the blend full of biscuity and hard characters or perhaps slightly croppy tones? Was the nose full bodied and strong. Exactly what you needed to wake you up this morning, right? You probably already know your coffee blends and aromas, and you’ll most certainly know the notes used to talk and write about wine, but with people exploring new ways to enjoy and taste their tea we want to help you navigate your way around this new world too, which is turning on its head. On behalf of Twinings new communications agency Cohn & Wolfe, find here your very own tea glossary. The Twinings Tea–minology created directly from with Twinings MasterBlender Philippa Thacker.
TEA TERM
LIQUOR
Liquor sounds alcoholic, but this type of liquor will not get you tipsy (unless you add some alcohol of course). Another word for the water after brewing with ingredients has occurred.
TEA TERM
ORGANOLEPTIC A SENSATIONAL WORD
FOR A SENSATIONAL PROCESS ALL OUR TWININGS MASTERBLENDERS DO THIS.
ESTATE
Tea plantation is so last season. A modern Twinings term to describe the place where tea is grown is on an ‘estate’.
IT REFERS TO THE WAY THAT MOST TEA TASTERS EVALUATE THE
QUALITY OF A TEA, I.E. USING ALL THEIR SENSES.
ARE YOU ORGANOLEPTIC WHEN YOU
SMELL, TASTE AND TOUCH YOUR TEA IN THE MORNING?
TEA TERM
CRACKER NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH A
FESTIVE TOY WHICH BANGS WHEN PULLED!
THIS IS IN FACT, IN WINE TERMS, SIMILAR TO A
‘VINTAGE’ YEAR. WHEN TWININGS COME ACROSS A CRACKER HARVEST, THE TASTE OF THE TEA IS
THE BEST
THEY’VE TASTED COMPARED TO OTHER HARVESTS. ARE WAITING FOR THE NEXT CRACKER AND WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN IT’S HERE!
TEA TERM
BLEND
Twinings Everyday Tea blends strong African and Indonesian teas, with the rich malty taste of Assam as well as rare tea from Yunnan to create this special taste. So put simply blends are a mixture of teas usually from different origins to create consistency with all your senses. Creating a blend is an art-form which comes only from years of knowledge and expertise of being a blender!
HIGH TEA
No doubt you’ve enjoyed many an afternoon tea, but what about a high tea? Becoming more popular, this is served in late afternoon to early evening and is a mixture of afternoon tea and dinner.
TEA TERM
GRADING
Tea needs the same attention to quality and detail as diamonds. The Twinings grading system ensures tea leaves are sifted and searched through by hand to ensure quality. Looking at leaf size, shape and colour and more. ‘Special’ refers to the better quality and ‘common’ refers to lower quality, grading 1-7.
BILLY TEA
Because it’s fun! Tea made by Australian bushmen in billy cans. Yes it really happens! But not at Twinings HQ…
TEA TERM
FLUSH IF YOU WANT THE DOM PERIGNON OF THE TEA WORLD, TWININGS MASTERBLENDERS SUGGEST YOU’LL WANT TO TASTE THE TWININGS FIRST FLUSH DARJEELING! FLUSH REFERS TO THE TIMING OF THE TEA HARVEST. THE FIRST FLUSH HAPPENS
IN EARLY SPRING AND INVOLVES THE
PLUCKING OF NEW SHOOTS. THE SECOND FLUSH OCCURS IN LATE SPRING. SO IF YOU WANT THE
BEST TASTING, MOST FASHIONABLE TEA, MAKE SURE YOU GET KNOW WHEN THE FLUSH IS COMING.
PRESENTATION
COPPERY
Associated with high quality black teas resulting from good manufacturing processes. Refers often to a wet leaf tea infusion that looks like the colour of a new penny.
RICH
This is mellow liquor which is abounding in quality and thickness of flavour. Twining’s Liquorish Infusion is a great example.
BODY
Describes tea liquor possessing fullness and strength.
PRESENTATION
GUNPOWDER
Don’t worry; the only explosion we’re referring to here is the one that will happen on your tiny taste buds. This term simply refers to the look of green tea leaves that have been rolled into pellets. The pellets unfurl gently in hot water when brewed, delight your taste-buds by trying Twinings Moroccan Green & Mint tea.
GOLDEN TIP
A desirable feature resulting from good harvesting practices. Golden tips are the unopened buds from the tea bush.
SMELL
TARRY
Refers to the wonderful smoky aroma of some teas such as the Twinings Lapsang Souchong
WOODY
Exactly what it says on the tin, imagine you’re in the woods of Sherwood Forest, and that’s how your tea will smell. A characteristic reminiscent of freshly-cut timber. This trait is usually associated with teas processed very late in the season for e.g. Twinings Green tea or Twinings Yunnan tea.
NOSE
You use it to smell with and Twinings MasterBlenders and flavour experts have the best noses in town, but put simply, it’s another term for the aroma of brewed tea. If it has a good nose, then it has great quality.
TASTE
FULL BODIED
Full bodied refers to strong tea with good colour and no bitterness! Twinings MasterBlenders say it’s recognisable due to its good drying sensation in the mouth. A 'full' tea would possess thickness and body like Twinings English Breakfast.
BISCUITY
This is not a term for when you’ve dipped your favourite chocolate digestive into your tea.
It is in fact a desirable trait that Twinings MasterBlenders look out for and usually refers to a well-made Assam.
TASTE
TASTE
CROPPY
MUSCATEL
Croppy describes bright, strong and creamy liquor with a distinctive character; it’s basically the Rachel Riley of teas. Croppy liquor is usually found in some second flush Assams.
WINE LOVERS
WILL
SAPPY
Our Twinings tea fans might get a little sappy over our best blends, we know they taste great! But when describing tea liquor it actually means one which has a full juicy flavour.
LOVE
THIS ONE,
AS MUSCATEL IS A CHARACTERISTIC REMINISCENT OF GRAPES IN THE LIQUOR. OFTEN FOUND IN LIQUOR OF THE
FINEST SECOND FLUSH
DARJEELING.
TASTE
HARD ANOTHER DESIRABLE QUALITY SUGGESTING
PUNGENCY &STRENGTH,
TASTE
BITE
Of course you don’t eat tea, you slurp it! This is a term used to describe very brisk and "alive" tea liquor. If it has a good strong bite, it is a desirable tea, just like Twinings Lemon and Ginger tea.
PARTICULARLY APPLIED TO ASSAM TEAS. HARD, STRONG TEAS LIKE TWININGS ASSAM ARE A GREAT COMPANION TO FOODS SUCH AS HEALTHY AND HEARTY
FISH AND CHIPS
ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE A FAN OF KETCHUP AS THIS WILL HELP BRING OUT THE
NATURAL SWEETNESS OF THE TEA!
PUNGENT
Most people think of pungent as referring to a bad smell, but in the tea world, if your tea is pungent, it’s a good quality tea. It’s a term for a tea liquor which although is brisk and astringent it’s something that Twinings MasterBlenders look out for as it’s a very desirable cup characteristic.
E ar t h
PEAT, WET WOOD, LEATHER, WET EARTH, MUSTY, MOSS, FORREST FLOOR,
M arine
FISH, SEA AIR, SEAWEED
DECAYING WOOD,
M iner al
COMPOST
SALT, WET ROCKS,
Wood
METALIC SAW DUST, CHERRY WOOD, GREEN WOOD, PINE, DARK WOOD, RESIN, CAMPHOR, BARK,
CEDAR Tree Fr uit
Banana, GARDEN APPLE, RED APPLE, Pear, PEACH, Apricot, Dried Fruit
Cit r us
Orange, Lemon, CIRTRUS ZEST, GRAPEFRUIT
B e rr ie s
Vege t able s
ASPARAGUS, GREEN PEPPER, GARDEN
PEAS
JASMINE, ORANGE BLOSSOM, HONEYSUCKLE, HOPS, CHERRY BLOSSOM, LILAC, ORCHID, PERFUME, DANDELION, ROSE, VIOLET, GERANIUM
Gr ass
GRASS,
FRESHLY CUT GRASS, SEED, BARNYARD, STEMS, STRAW
Tropic al
Melon, Lychee, PINEAPPLE
RASPBERRY, Strawberry, Blackcurrent, BLACKBERRY
CHESTNUT, ALMOND, PEANUT, HAZELNUT, WALNUT, ROASTED NUTS
SMOKE, TAR, ASH
VANILLA, MENTHOL, THYME, CLOVE, WHITE PEPPER, SAFFRON, CINNAMON, CARDAMON, LIQUORICE, BLACK PEPPER, PARSLEY, FENNEL, EUCALYPTUS, COCOA, NUTMEG, CORRIANDER SEED
MAPLE SYRUP, HONEY MALT, CARAMEL, NECTAR, MOLASSESS, CANDY,
We've only provided you with a small flavour of the tea terms we use to describe tea. But here are some more to get you thinking about those notes you sometimes think of when smelling and tasting your tea which our MasterBlenders love to use.
BURNT SUGAR
Vegetal Fruity Floral Sweet Spicy Nutty Smokey
TEA—MINOLOGY