Tea is often described using words like floral, nutty, malty or vegetal.

These are not added flavours. They are sensory impressions that arise from the leaf, its origin and its processing.

Taste notes are guides. They help describe what you might notice in the cup.

Where Do Taste Notes Come From?

Flavour develops through a combination of factors:

• The cultivar of the plant
• Climate and soil
• Altitude
• Harvest timing
• Processing methods such as oxidation or roasting

A lightly steamed green tea will taste different from a heavily roasted oolong, even though both come from the same plant.

Processing directs flavour.

Common Taste Categories

Taste language groups flavours into patterns. These are some of the most common:

Floral

Orchid, jasmine, rose.

Often found in lightly oxidised oolongs or delicate green teas.

Vegetal

Grass, spinach, seaweed.

Typical of many steamed green teas.

Nutty and Toasted

Chestnut, almond, roasted grains.

Common in pan fired greens or roasted oolongs.

Malty and Sweet

Caramel, cocoa, honey.

Frequently present in black teas.

Fruity

Stone fruit, dried fig, citrus peel.

Appears in certain oolongs and black teas.

Earthy

Damp wood, leather, forest floor.

Associated with aged or post fermented teas.

Taste is personal

Two people may notice different aspects of the same tea.

Water temperature, steeping time and leaf quantity also influence what stands out.

Taste notes are not a checklist. They are an invitation to pay attention.

Final note

There is no right answer in taste.

Learning to notice is part of the experience.

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