Why do some people always seem to know whether the tea is good or not just by looking at the dry tea leaves? What exactly are they looking for?

In fact, it's not just a casual glance—this look is a meaningful and insightful one!

Various Factors

Uniformity, cleanliness, and dryness are essential factors to consider. During the tea-making process, the leaves may experience some wear and tear, but higher-grade teas will have minimal damage and fewer impurities like stems or yellow leaves.

The dryness of the tea can be checked by touching the dry leaves. If they break or crumble easily, it indicates that the drying temperature during processing was slightly higher, which often enhances the aroma.

Appearance

Different teas undergo various processing methods, resulting in a diverse world of tea shapes. Experienced tea drinkers know which teas should have more fine hairs, which should be tightly rolled, and which should be curled like a spiral.

Color

The color of the dry tea leaves reveals a lot of information. Tea colors range from red, green, yellow, white, black, to blue, with shades like emerald green, dark green, and olive green in between.

From the color of the tea leaves, one can tell that teas picked earlier tend to be more tender and lighter in color. Additionally, the uniformity of the color is an indicator of the tea variety and processing techniques. Moreover, blended teas can be identified by the color and uniformity of the dry leaves.

All these factors are reflected in the brewed tea, so the quality of the tea can be somewhat judged by its appearance.

Learning from seasoned tea enthusiasts will help you gradually appreciate the richness and wonders of tea!