| Afternoon Tea | A British meal eaten in mid afternoon, consisting of sandwiches, scones,and pastries accompanied by tea. |
Agony of the leaves | The unfurling of tea leaves during steeping. |
| Anhui | A major tea producing province in China. |
Antioxidant | A compound which slows oxidation. |
| Aroma | Also known as the nose, the smell of the brewed leaf and the resulting liquor. |
Assam | A major tea growing region in India. These black teas are known for their strong malty flavor. |
| Astringency | The drying sensation in the mouth due to high levels of unoxidized polyphenols in a tea. |
Autumnal | Teas harvested in autumn. The term is typically associated with teas from India and Formosa. |
| Bakey | A term describing over-fired teas |
Basket-fired | Japanese tea that has been cured in baskets by firing or drying. |
| Bergamot | An essential oil derived from the bergamot orange which is used to flavor tea. Most often associated with Earl Grey tea. |
Billy tea | Tea made by Australian bushmen in billy cans. |
| Biscuity | Tea taster's expression, often used with Assam teas that have been fired well |
Black Tea | The most oxidized of leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant. |
| Blend | Mixture of teas, usually to promote consistency between growing seasons |
Bloom | A term describing the sheen of the tea leaf. |
| Body | Tea taster's term to denote a full strength brew |
Bold | large leaf cut tea |
| Brassy | Unpleasant acidic bite from improperly withered tea |
Break | Auction term referring to a lot for sale, usually 18 chests or more. |
| Brick Tea | Tea leaves that have been steamed and compressed into bricks. Pu-erh is a common brick tea. |
Bright | A term describing a light-colored leaf or its resulting bright red brew. |
| Brisk | A term describing a tea that is very astringent. |
Broken | Smaller leaf style usually created during manufacture by passing the leaf through a cutter |
| Caddy | The name given to a tin or jar of tea. |
Caffeine | A stimulating compound found in tea. |
| Cambric tea | A very weak tea infusion with a large amount of milk and sugar |
Camellia sinensis | Botanical name of the tea bush. |
| Caravan tea | Tea taken by camel from China to Russia before modern transportation. |
Catechin | The class of polyphenol found in tea. |
| Ceylon | Former name of Sri Lanka. |
Cha | The Chinese word for tea. |
| Chai | The word for tea on the Indian subcontinent. In the west it generally means a spiced black tea made with milk (masala chai). |
Chanoyu | Japanese tea ceremony or ritual. |
| Chest | Traditional container made of wood with a metal lining used to ship tea from tea estates. |
Chesty | A term denoting an odor in tea absorbed from the wood of a traditional storage chest. |
| Chunmee | A grade of curled Chinese tea. |
Cloning | Cuttings taken from old tea bushes which are allowed to root and then are planted to produce new tea bushes. Many tea bushes are grown from clones or cuttings taken from older bushes. |
| Congou | A general term for Chinese black tea, derived from gong-fu, defined below. |
Coppery | A term describing a reddish infusion, associated with black teas of high quality. |
| CTC | An acronym for Crush, Tear, and Curl, a manufacturing process to create tea leaves that impart a stronger infusion. |
Darjeeling | Tea grown in the Darjeeling region of India, near the Himalayas. Darjeeling teas are usually highly astringent. |
| Dhool | A term describing the coppery, fermenting tea leaf. |
Dimbula | A district in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) that produces full bodied black teas. |
| Display Tea | A tea that has a special appearance once steeped, such as flowering teas, or Jasmine Pearls. |
Dust | The smallest grade of tea, often used in tea bags because it creates a quick infusion. |
| Earl Grey | A Black Tea blend flavored with Bergamot Oil. |
English Breakfast Tea | A tea blend producing a full-bodied, strong flavored, colorful tea. |
| Estate | A tea growing property. In past tea estates where known as plantations. |
Fannings | Small particles of tea one grade larger than Dust produced as a by product of the tea making process. |
| Fermentation | The process of oxidizing green tea leaves to make black and oolong teas. |
Fibrous | A term describing teas that contain a high percentage of fannings. |
| Firing | The process of rapidly heating the tea leaves, with hot air or in a wok, to stop fermentation and dry the leaves for a finished product. |
Flat | A term describing teas that lack astringency. |
| Flowery | A grading term that indicates leaves with light-colored tips. |
Flush | Refers to the timing of the tea harvest. "first flush" is the early spring plucking of new shoots. "second flush" is harvested late spring through early summer, yielding more body and full flavor. Autumnal flush is the late season harvest. |
| Formosa | Tea produced in Taiwan, typically oolong teas |
Full | Strong tea without bitterness and possessing good color |
| Gaiwan | A traditional Chinese lidded tea drinking vessel with accompanying saucer. |
Genmaicha | Green tea with toasted rice. |
| Golden | Refers to the orange colored tips present in high quality black tea |
Gong fu | A Chinese term meaning performed with care; describes a style of brewing that involves many repeated short infusions in a small pot. |
| Grade | Term used to describe a tea leaf or particle size of leaf. |
Grainy | A term describing high quality CTC teas. |
| Green Tea | Tea that is withered immediately, and often steamed and/or fired before oxidation can begin. |
Gunpowder | Green tea that has been rolled into pellets, which unfurl in hot water to brew. |
| Gyokuro | Japanese green tea produced from shaded plants. "Pearl Dew" |
Hard | A term describing pungent tea, associated with Assam teas. |
| Harsh | A term describing bitter teas. |
Heavy | A term describing a full, deep-colored infusion without astringency. |
| Herbal Infusion | Often referred to as "herbal tea" or "herbal tisane". These teas are blends of herbs and most often do not contain any "tea" leaves. |
High tea | A meal served late afternoon to early evening which is a mixture of afternoon tea and dinner. |
| Hyson | A type of Chinese green tea meaning "flourishing spring". Young Hyson is this type of tea which is plucked early. |
Iced Tea | Tea brewed and served chilled |
| Infusion | The process of extracting elements from tea, herbs, fruits or berries by submersing in boiling water. This process is often used for obtaining medicinal properties from herbs. |
Jasmine | Tea scented with jasmine flowers. |
| Keemun | Black tea from central China, typically hand-rolled and fired. |
Kenya | A country in Africa that produces fine black teas. |
| Lapsang souchong | A Chinese black tea that is fired over a pinewood fire for a characteristically smoky aroma and flavor. |
Light | A term describing tea that produces a weak infusion. |
| Malty | A term describing slightly over-fired tea. |
Matcha | Powdered green tea from Japan used in the Japanese tea ceremony. |
| Meat Tea | Another term for High tea. |
Metallic | A term describing the dry, coppery taste of some teas. |
| Muddy | A term describing a dull, brownish infusion |
Muscatel | A muscat grape like taste associated with many Darjeeling Teas. |
| Nilgiri | A district in the hills of southern India that produces excellent black teas. |
Nose | The aroma of brewed tea. |
| Oolong Tea | A form of tea characterized by lighter brews and larger leaf styles. This tea is typically understood as a lightly fermented tea, between green and black tea on a continuum. |
Orange Pekoe | Referring to size of leaf, not quality or flavor, this term indicates a larger-size grade of whole leaf teas. |
| Orthodox | Traditional method for picking and processing teas in India without using CTC technology. |
Pan-fired | A term describing that has been fired in a wok. |
| Pekoe | A term used to describe the largest leaves used to produce whole leaf teas. Also refers to an un-distinctive blend of tea. |
Pekoe Souchong | The third leaf from the tip. Larger and more course than the newer shoots. |
| Plain | A term describing a dull, sour infusion. |
Plucking | The process of harvesting and collecting tea leaves. |
| Polyphenols | Astringent compounds found in tea. |
Pouchong | A scented Chinese or Formosan tea derived from a method of packing tea in smaller paper packets, and each is supposed to be the product of one tea plant. |
| Pruning | The trimming back of the tea brush, to maintains its shape and help increase yield. |
Pu-erh Tea | A type of black tea that has been fermented. These teas are known for aging quite well. Also known as the "diet tea" for it's body cleansing properties. |
| Pungent | A term describing highly astringent tea. |
Raw | A term describing bitter tea. |
| Rolling | The process where withered leaves are rolled to initiate oxidation and impart twisting in the leaf. |
Rooibos | A popular South African tea that shares many of the health properties of Tea, but contains no caffeine. |
| Russian tea | A hot tea poured into a glass over a slice of lemon. |
Scented tea | Teas that have been flavored by adding flower petals, fruits spices and/or natural oils. |
| Self-drinking | A term describing full-bodied tea that does not need to be blended. |
Semi-Fermented tea | Tea that has been partially oxidized before being fired and dried. Most often referred to as Oolong tea. |
| Sencha | The most popular variety of green tea in Japan. A beverage to be consumed daily. |
Single Estate Tea | A tea from one particular estate, plantation, or garden. |
| Smoky | A term describing teas fired over an open fire, resulting in exposure to wood smoke. |
Soft | A term describing under fermented tea. |
| Souchong | Large leaf teas harvested from the third and fourth leaf of the tea plant. |
Stalk | A term describing teas that contain pieces of stalk from poor plucking. |
| Tannin | A term referring to the astringent polyphenols of tea, producing a bitter flavor. |
Tarry | The smoky aroma and taste associated with a smoked tea. |
| Tat | A wire mesh or burlap apparatus used to lay the leaves out for withering and fermentation |
Tea taster | An expert judge of leaf and cup quality tea at all stages of production, brokerage blending and final packaging. |
| Tea tree | A tea bush or plant which has been allowed to grow back into a tree. |
Theaflavins | Polyphenols unique to fermented black teas, a compound formed from catechins. |
| Theanine | An amino acid unique to tea. |
Theine | A synonym for caffeine. |
| Tippy | A term describing teas with white or golden tips, indicating high quality |
Tisane | An infused beverage made with plants other than Camellia sinensis. |
| Tuocha | Chinese for bowl tea. A common shape for pu-erh teas. |
Two and a bud | The ideal plucked tea for production, consisting of the new tea shoot and the first two leaves |
| Vintage | Used to describe teas from the same harvest at market. |
White Tea | Rare teas of fine quality. White teas are known for their high antioxidant content and subtle flavor. |
| Winey | A term describing aged, mellow teas, as with some Keemun teas. |
Withering | The first step in production of most teas. Involves letting the fresh leaves wither for some period of time after plucking to reduce moisture content. |
| Woody | A term describing an unpleasant hay taste in black tea. |
Yixing | Pronounced Yee-shing, a region in China known for its purple clay, and the unglazed teapots produced from it. |
| Yunnan | A province in southwestern China |