How to Taste Tea: Aroma, Taste and Aftertaste

The simplest way to learn how to taste tea is to judge every cup on three dimensions: aroma, taste and texture, and aftertaste. Score each one separately and you can compare any two teas fairly, even as a beginner.

how to taste tea: pouring tea from a glass fairness cup into tasting cups — Pour from a fairness cup so every cup in a tasting is the same strength.

This is the method we use at Teawish when we taste samples and decide what to sell. It is simple enough to use at home.

Dimension 1: What do you smell in the aroma?

Smell at three moments:

The dry leaves in a warmed gaiwan
The inside of the lid after each infusion
The empty cup once you’ve finished drinking

Rolled Light Breeze high mountain oolong dry leaves — Light Breeze high mountain oolong: notice the dry-leaf aroma first.

Ask: Is the aroma clean? Is it strong or faint? Does it last? Floral, fruity, toasty, woody and honeyed are all useful words. A smoky or stale smell that doesn’t belong to the style is a warning sign. For more, see our guide to smelling tea aroma in a Chinese tea ceremony.

Dimension 2: What happens in your mouth?

Sip and let the tea coat your tongue. Notice:

Balance: sweetness, bitterness, astringency (that drying feeling) and savoriness.
Body: thin like water, or full and smooth?
Clarity: clean and defined, or muddy?

Golden Honey Wood oolong liquor in a white cup — Honey Wood oolong: a rounder, roasted taste to compare.

A little bitterness is normal in many teas. What matters is whether it fades quickly into sweetness.

Dimension 3: What does the aftertaste tell you?

Wait 30 seconds after swallowing. Good tea often leaves a returning sweetness in the throat, called huí gān (回甘, “returning sweetness”), and a cooling or lingering feeling. Chinese tea lovers also talk about yùn (韵, “rhyme” or “charm”), a hard-to-translate sense of depth and resonance. If the flavor disappears instantly, or leaves a rough dryness, note it.

How to taste tea side by side

Use the same vessel size, for example two 100 ml gaiwans.
Use the same amount of tea, about 3 g each for tasting.
Use the same water at the same temperature, such as 95°C (203°F) for oolong.
Steep both for the same time; for comparisons, try 1 minute.
Score each dimension from 1 to 5 and write one or two words beside it.

Glass fairness cup and two small glass tasting cups — Small glass cups make side-by-side tasting easy.

Here is an example score sheet for two teas:

Tea A: aroma 4 (orchid, clear), taste and texture 3 (bright, a bit thin), aftertaste 3 (short).
Tea B: aroma 3 (toasty, faint), taste and texture 4 (smooth, full), aftertaste 5 (long huí gān).

A nice pair to start with is our two high mountain oolongs, Light Breeze (lighter oxidation) and Honey Wood (heavier oxidation). They come from the same tea variety, so the differences are mostly processing. New to tasting? Start with our 5 steps to appreciating a cup of tea.