Tea aroma is the scent released after brewing. During the Tang and Song dynasties, although ancient people liked to mix various spices into tea, they valued the natural fragrance of tea even more. Tea is also called "fragrant herb," and its aroma is produced by various aromatic substances it contains. Due to differences in the origin of tea plants, varieties, and the picking season and production process, different types of tea have distinct aroma styles: black tea has a sweet aroma, green tea has a fresh aroma, and oolong tea has a floral or fruity aroma. High-quality tea, when brewed, has a pure, lingering, rich, fresh, or clean aroma. If the aroma contains off-odors or is flat and coarse, the tea is of low quality.
The nature of tea aroma includes fresh, high, rich, delicate, pure, downy, tender, and aged aromas. The types of aroma are mainly floral and fruity, and can be further divided into orchid, osmanthus, chestnut, and papaya scents. Orchid fragrance was the most beloved tea aroma in ancient times and was regarded as the "king of fragrances." Tang dynasty poet Li Deyu (787–849) praised it in his poem "Remembering Tea Buds": "Pine flowers drift in the boiling pot, orchid fragrance gently enters the cup" (the cup refers to a tea cup), depicting the lightness of orchid aroma. Northern Song writer Fan Zhongyan (989–1052) wrote in "In Reply to Zhang Min's Song of Tea Competition": "The taste of tea is lighter than clarified butter, the aroma of tea is thinner than orchid and angelica," showing that orchid fragrance was also the sought-after aroma in tea competitions.
The flavor of tea reflects its value. Tea has a hundred tastes, containing various substances that produce sweet, sour, bitter, fresh, and astringent flavors. Generally, different tea types have different flavor standards: green tea is best when mellow, fresh, and brisk; black tea is best when rich, strong, and fresh; oolong tea is characterized by its thick, mellow, and enduring taste.
Flavor is the taster's sensory response, mainly identified by the tongue. Generally, the tip of the tongue is sensitive to saltiness, the middle of the tongue to sweetness, the sides to sourness and astringency, and the back to bitterness. Therefore, when drinking tea, one should take small sips and let the tea slowly flow in the mouth, allowing it to fully contact the taste buds on different parts of the tongue to accurately judge the tea's flavor.
Tea has a hundred tastes, and ancient people tasted different flavors from it. Northern Song writer Ouyang Xiu (1007–1072) wrote in a poem in his later years: "As I grow old, the taste of the world fades, but my love for tea never wanes." From tea, he tasted the bitterness of human relations and the coldness of the world.