Tea should avoid six undesirable flavors.
1. Green Flavor
The green flavor is the natural taste of plants. In tea, the main reasons for a green flavor are insufficient sun-withering, fermentation, or fixation. Other causes include:
1. Excessive nitrogen fertilizer during cultivation, resulting in dark green leaves with weak aroma and a bland taste, highlighting the green flavor;
2. Inadequate fermentation during processing due to improper sun-withering or stirring;
3. Low room temperature or high humidity during indoor withering, hindering water loss and normal fermentation.
2. Bitter and Astringent Taste
The bitter and astringent taste in tea should be evaluated based on how quickly it dissipates after entering the mouth. If it persists, it may indicate poor processing. Common causes include tender leaves, insufficient sun-withering, improper fermentation, or summer tea.
3. Stuffy Flavor
The stuffy flavor in tea can be categorized into three types: yellow-stuffy flavor, water-stuffy flavor, and red-stuffy flavor. Yellow-stuffy flavor occurs when fresh leaves accumulate heat, steaming occurs during baking, or rolling time is too long, creating a vacuum layer. Water-stuffy flavor results from dew or rain-moistened leaves not being spread out or cooled in time, or from piling leaves to increase temperature before fixation, leading to insufficient fermentation. Red-stuffy flavor arises from tea leaves being tightly rolled in bags for too long.
4. Burnt Flavor
The burnt flavor in tea is usually caused by improper fixation or baking. If the temperature is too high or the time too long during fixation, the tea develops a burnt taste. Conversely, if the temperature is too low or the time too short, the tea appears dull yellow without gloss, and the infusion tastes bland or woody.
5. Bland Flavor
Tea that tastes bland and weak is mainly due to coarse old leaves, excessive withering, or improper rolling. Summer or winter teas tend to be lighter, and early rainfall can also lead to overall blandness.
6. Moldy Flavor
If tea is stored for too long or improperly, it absorbs moisture from the air, promoting mold growth and developing a moldy flavor.