International Tea Day is marked every year by tea-producing countries in the world on December 15. The day is celebrated to draw the attention of people and to foresee the amount of impact brought by the tea trade to the workers and the farmers. Countries like India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Indonesia, Uganda, Malaysia, and Tanzania, among others, observe this day in December every year.
For all the tea lovers, there is just one significant question: What makes tea ‘good’? Or what separates the good from the great? Well, there are some key pointers to help in spotting quality markers for a deeper understanding of tea and tea production. A host of factors play a role in judging the best tea. It goes beyond price and quality. Tea experts usually assess the following categories when it comes to strict quality markers:
Look of the leaf
While dry leaves of a tea have a lot to tell, they also deceive easily being one of the most easy quality markers to fake. So, the style of tea contains the most reason when assessing the look of the leaf. Whole leaves, with consistent shape and colour, are believed to be most important. Lower quality leaves are found to be broken, bitsy, or dusty and uneven in colour or shape. This, along with other reasons, is why usually bagged teas are perceived of a lower quality than loose leaf tea.
Aroma
The leaves should be wet if you want to evaluate the aroma as wet leaves are way better than the dry leaves to get the right aroma. The better quality is, the brighter and the more complex the aroma is. Wait and check if the leaves hold onto the aroma if you want to test the leaves. It is a sign of high quality if there is a lasting aroma.
Taste
This part is more like wine tasting as you are looking to aerate the tea in your mouth. A little squishing and slurping helps to get the most out of the taste and to get a real feel for quality. You want a taste that is clear, complex and balanced.
Mouthfeel
A trait usually difficult to describe in words and impossible for producers to fake. Mouthfeel relates to texture and you want it to be thicker and more complex than water. A high-quality tea gives a lingering mouthfeel, it sits on your palate longer than the tea liquid itself does.
Finish
It takes a few sips, or more to get a real idea of the finish. The finish can be defined roughly as how long they last – flavors and sensations lingering in your mouth after a sip. You want to understand how the flavor changes, persists or deepens. This testing quality offers more than one can think. Do you feel or think of the tea, a while after your last sip. That is a great quality tea.
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