1 Color Different types of tea have different color characteristics. Green tea that is pan-fried should be yellowish-green, oven-dried should be dark green, steamed should be emerald green, and Longjing should be fresh green with a slight beige; if the green tea is dull and dark brown, the quality is certainly poor. The liquor of green tea should be light green or yellowish-green, clear and bright; if it is dark yellow or murky, it is definitely not good tea. Black tea should be glossy black and oily, with a bright red liquor; some high-grade Gongfu black teas can form a ring of yellow oil around the cup of tea liquor, commonly known as the "golden ring"; if the liquor is dull and murky, it is inferior black tea. Oolong tea is best when it has a greenish-brown and glossy color.

2 Aroma

All types of tea inherently have a fragrance, such as green tea with a fresh scent, top-grade green tea also having orchid or chestnut aromas; black tea with a fresh scent and sweetness or floral notes; Oolong tea with a ripe peach aroma, etc. If the aroma is faint, it is definitely inferior tea; if it has a stale smell, it is aged tea; if it has a moldy or other off-odor, it is spoiled tea. Even bitter tea, when smelled, has a natural fragrance. Scented tea, in particular, attracts tea drinkers with its strong aroma.

3 Taste

Also called the flavor of tea, the taste of tea itself is composed of many components, including bitterness, astringency, sweetness, freshness, and sourness. When the proportions of these components are balanced, the flavor is fresh, mellow, and palatable. At the same time, different types of tea have different flavors. Top-grade green tea has an initial bitterness and astringency, but a rich and mellow aftertaste that leaves the mouth moist and salivating; coarse and old inferior tea is bland and tasteless, or even astringent and numbing to the tongue. Top-grade black tea has a rich, strong, and brisk flavor; low-grade black tea is bland and tasteless. Bitter tea is very bitter when drunk, but leaves a sweet aftertaste.

4 Shape The quality of tea can be judged from its shape, because the quality of tea is directly related to the fresh leaves picked and to the processing, both of which are reflected in the shape of the tea. For example, good Longjing tea has a smooth, flat, and straight shape, resembling a nail; good pearl tea has round, tight, and uniform grains; good Gongfu black tea has tight and neat strips, broken black tea has neat and uniform grains; good Maofeng tea has many buds and tips, etc. If the strips are loose, the grains are fluffy, the leaf surface is rough, and the body is light, it cannot be considered good tea.

Knowledge of tea from different seasons

1 Spring Tea

Refers to tea picked from late March to mid-May. Spring temperatures are moderate, with sufficient rainfall, and the tea plants have rested through half a year of winter nourishment, resulting in plump spring tea buds, emerald green color, soft leaves, and rich in vitamins, especially amino acids. This not only gives spring tea a lively flavor and pleasant aroma but also has health benefits.

2 Summer Tea

Refers to tea picked from early May to early July. The summer weather is hot, and the new shoots and leaves of the tea plant grow rapidly, causing a relative decrease in the water-soluble extract content that dissolves in the tea liquor, especially the reduction of amino acids, making the flavor and aroma of the tea liquor generally less strong than spring tea. Since the bitter and astringent anthocyanins, caffeine, and tea polyphenols are higher than in spring tea, this not only causes purple buds and leaves to increase with uneven color but also makes the flavor more bitter and astringent.

3 Autumn Tea

Refers to tea picked after mid-August. The autumn climate conditions are between spring and summer. After the tea plants have grown through spring and summer, the internal substances in the new shoots are relatively reduced, with uneven leaf sizes, brittle leaf bases, yellowish leaf color, and a relatively mild flavor and aroma.

4 Winter Tea

About the end of October, winter tea picking begins. Winter tea is grown after the autumn tea harvest is finished and the climate gradually turns cold. Because the new shoots of winter tea grow slowly, the internal substances gradually increase, so the flavor is mellow and the aroma is strong.