A cup of black tea embodies aspects such as form, color, aroma, and taste. To appreciate a cup of black tea, one can start from these four dimensions and then blend in personal experiences, allowing a preliminary taste of its essence. This edition of health preservation through tea drinking compiles the eight aroma types one needs to understand when appreciating black tea.

Pekoe fragrance: Any fresh leaves with white pekoe, tenderness of single buds or one bud and one leaf, and normally processed dry tea with golden pekoe will exhibit a typical pekoe aroma when brewed.

 

 

Clear fragrance: A pure, soft, and long-lasting aroma, not intense but slowly released, bringing a sense of pleasure. This is a fragrance characteristic of freshly picked and processed black tea.

Tender fragrance: A delicate, fresh, and pleasant aroma, reminiscent of corn. It is found in high-quality teas made from tender and soft fresh leaves.

 

 

Fire fragrance: Includes rice cake fragrance, high-fire fragrance, aged-fire fragrance, and roasted rice fragrance. Made from older fresh leaves with more stems, and subjected to high-temperature drying during processing, this aroma results from the caramelization of sugars in the tea leaves.

Floral fragrance: Possesses various aromas similar to natural fresh flowers. Some special tea varieties develop this aroma after the withering process.

 

 

Fruity fragrance: Exudes aromas similar to various fruits, such as longan. Black tea may have an apple fragrance, while Lapsang Souchong has a longan fragrance (especially the traditional pine smoke type).

Sweet fragrance: Includes clear sweet fragrance, sweet floral fragrance, jujube fragrance, dried longan fragrance, and honey fragrance. This is typical of black tea made from moderately picked fresh leaves.

 

Pine smoke fragrance: Found in teas dried using pine, cypress, maple balls, or yellow vine during processing, such as Lapsang Souchong.