Aroma is a major part of tea soup. However, people's olfactory cells develop differently. Some scents can be detected by certain individuals, while others may not find them fragrant. Therefore, when it comes to subtle aromas, not everyone can perceive them. But, the sense of smell can be trained!
The training method is nothing special: taste carefully, smell carefully, and compare in detail. One should be objective about their own perceptions. It is best to have someone taste tea with you, as it not only compensates for shortcomings in one's own sense of taste but also allows for exchange of opinions.
There are roughly three places where tea aroma appears.
The first is the aroma cup
To smell the fragrance from the aroma cup, start at the highest temperature. As the temperature gradually decreases, the aroma may change, and all changes should be captured. It is best to carefully smell even when the temperature drops to room temperature. This not only allows appreciation of tea leaves' aroma but also helps distinguish the quality of the tea and even the techniques used in tea making.
At the highest temperature, there might be a pungent sensation. Only some teas release a fragrant aroma at the highest temperature. If this is the case, try to brew at an even higher temperature during冲泡 to draw out other unknown fragrances.
After a few seconds, the fragrance begins to emerge, transitioning from light to strong, and then from strong to light. This is the first layer of fragrance. Afterwards, another fragrance slowly appears, also shifting from light to strong and then to light. Layer upon layer, even at room temperature, the scent remains. This is what is referred to as tea with lingering cup aroma.
When smelling, the sense of smell often becomes fatigued, meaning "one gets used to the fragrance and no longer notices it." Therefore, every few seconds, move the aroma cup away for a few seconds to allow the嗅觉 to接触 fresh air before smelling again. This prevents "being in a room full of orchids" (overexposure).
In today's tea leaves, unless they are from bushes harvested three to four years ago, the火气 (fire energy) is too strong, making it difficult to smell the bottom-of-cup aroma! The heavier the roasting, the more the quantity of aroma decreases.
Of course, when sampling tea for purchase, the aroma presentation is often wrapped in火气 (especially for newly roasted tea). So, it is important to ask about the roasting time to evaluate properly after tasting. However, a better way to select tea is not by smelling but by tasting the flavor. Teas with strong flavors often have better aroma performance later. Certainly, freshly made tea with heavy roasting and sufficient aroma, maintaining a fresh feeling (aroma changes, flavor jumps, and feels vibrant after drinking), is definitely above average!
The second is the tea soup
Some teas may not reveal their aroma when smelled in the aroma cup or with a spoon, but upon sipping, the fragrance becomes apparent. Of course, similar to the aroma cup, as the temperature decreases, the aroma may change. However, you might notice that the入口 aroma gradually decreases after one or two months due to internal reactions within the tea leaves, which is normal. It might even express better in other aspects. In the past, some called this "loss of flavor." With a certain understanding of tea's post-fermentation, "loss of flavor" might not necessarily be a bad thing. If you feel the tea's condition is worth preserving, storing it in the refrigerator can slow down the changes.
The third is the aroma in the mouth after drinking
The aroma exhaled from the mouth after drinking.
You will notice a fragrance lingering in the mouth with each breath. For example, with Pu-erh Tea, sometimes a certain aroma isn't detectable in the aroma cup or while drinking, but after drinking, a light fragrance becomes present.
The location where tea is drunk affects the aroma. Consider four places: indoors, high-ceiling buildings, pavilions, and outdoors. If the wind is not strong, humidity is low, and altitude is similar, the order of aroma clarity is: outdoors > pavilion > buildings with 5-6 meter ceilings > indoors. Therefore, the airflow in the environment greatly influences tea aroma perception.
The most sensitive area for aroma in the mouth is the junction between the upper palate and the nasal cavity. Hence, when judging competition teas, judges take a small amount of tea soup into their mouths, slightly lower their heads, and inhale air from the left and right sides of their lips. When air is inhaled, the tea soup mixed with air churns at the mouth-nose junction, making it easier for the嗅觉 to perceive the tea's aroma. Of course, we can also do this while drinking tea.
But two suggestions: initially, the "stimulation" might be too strong, and it may take a year or so for the sense of smell to adapt; it's easy to choke, so take very little tea soup into the mouth and inhale air gently at first, increasing intensity after getting used to it. After drinking the tea soup, actions like inhaling or swallowing in the mouth can help perceive the tea's aroma. Especially when drinking strong tea, the tea fragrance gradually emerges through churning in the mouth.