Dry Tea Shape Terminology

Floral Tips: Abundant trichomes. Synonym: Trichomes Visible
Pekoe Tips: Tender leaves tightly rolled with pointed tips.
Body: Weight of tea leaves.
Heavy: Substantial body, feels weighty in hand.
Light: Thin body, feels insubstantial in hand.
Uniform: Consistent thickness, length and size across upper/middle/lower segments with proper proportion and no separation. Synonym: Even; Well-proportioned
Separated: Excessive upper/lower segments with insufficient middle segment, imbalanced proportion.
Clean: Uniform without stems or impurities.
Straight: Smooth and even, neither bent nor curved. Synonym: Flat-straight
Curved: Hook-shaped or bow-shaped. Synonym: Hook-curved
Flat-laying: Leaves adhere closely in tray without lifting or bridging.
Tightly Rolled: Compact and firm.

Tight-straight: Compact and round-straight.
Firm: Moderate compactness with substantial body.
Plump: Fat tender leaves with heavy body.
Sturdy: Quite tender with relatively heavy body.
Coarse-firm: Less tender, large but still firm.
Coarse-loose: Low tenderness, large and loose.
Loose-strip: Poor rolling tightness. Synonym: Loose-puffy
Loose-flat: Not tight and appearing flat.
Flat-clump: Flat round or irregular flat clumps.
Round-solid: Strips round and tightly rolled.
Round-straight: Strips round and straight.
Flat-strip: Flat shape lacking roundness.
Blunt: Broken strips without tips. Synonym: Truncated
Short-broken: Short surface strips with excessive lower segments, uneven.
Loose-broken: Loose and fragmented.
Heavy fines: Excessive smallest sieve fraction.
Blister: Protruding spots on dry leaves.
Broken edge: Visible breakage marks.
Dry Tea Color Terminology

Glossy: Vibrant color with good luster.
Dull: Dry color without luster.
Even: Uniform leaf color.
Mixed: Uneven leaf color and shape. Also applies to infused leaves.
Liquor Color Terminology
Crystal-clear: Clean, transparent, bright without sediment.
Vibrant: Brightly colorful and clear.
Bright: Fresh and luminous. Also applies to infused leaves.
Deep: Dark liquor color.

Light: Pale watery color.
Luminous: Clear and transparent.
Dark: Not translucent. Also applies to infused leaves.
Turbid: Cloudy with suspended particles.
Sediment: Particles settled at cup bottom.
Aroma Terminology
Highly aromatic: Intense and lasting fragrance.
Pure: Balanced aroma without odd notes.
Neutral: Relatively low but clean.
Weak: Faint but not coarse.
Stuffy: Stagnant and unpleasant.
Stale: Dull and oppressive.
Coarse: Odor of old leaves.
Grassy: Green grass/leaf smell.
Baked: Slight roasted rice/caramel note.
Over-fired: Stronger baked note than above.
Aged: Storage odor.
Off-odor: Undesirable smells like smoke, burnt, sour, musty or moldy. Specify type when using.
Taste Terminology

Sweet aftertaste: Pleasant lingering sweetness.
Strong: Thick and stimulating.
Mellow: Rich, sweet and stimulating.
Full-bodied: Robust yet smooth with sweet finish. More stimulating than mellow but less than strong.
Clean: Refreshingly normal with slight sweetness.
Mild: Gentle sweetness. More stimulating than clean but less than neutral.
Neutral: Normal taste with weak stimulation.
Thin: Slight initial taste fading quickly. Synonym: Weak; Light; Flat
Astringent: Puckery mouthfeel.

Rough: Harsh and blunt.
Green-astringent: Astringency with raw greenness.
Bitter: Immediate bitter taste intensifying.
Steamed: Unpleasant cooked flavor.
Baked taste: Baked odor detectable in flavor.
Over-fired taste: Nearly burnt flavor.
Aged taste: Storage flavor.
Off-flavor: Undesirable tastes like smoke, burnt, sour, musty or moldy. Specify type when using.
Infused Leaves Terminology

Tender: Abundant buds, small soft leaves.
Soft-tender: Tender and pliable.
Pliable: Yielding like cotton, lying flat after pressing.
Even: Uniform in tenderness, size, thickness, completeness or color.
Mixed: Inconsistent in above aspects.
Tender-even: Uniformly tender and soft.
Thick: Plump buds, fleshy leaves without visible veins.
Open: Unfurled soft leaves. Synonym: Expanded
Spread-out: Mature leaves unfolded.

Coarse: Thick stems with visible veins.
Shriveled: Mature leaves wrinkled.
Thin: Small buds with sparse leaf flesh.
Thin-hard: Old, thin and relatively hard.
Broken: Excessive fragments.
Bright: Vividly colorful.
Dark-mixed: Dull color with uneven tenderness.
Hard-mixed: Old, stiff, stemmy with variegated color.
Scorched: Localized black/yellow burn marks on edges or surfaces.