Glossary

Tea Glossary

The words you meet on tea labels and reviews, explained one by one — with links to the related teas and articles. To start from a packet in your hand instead, see How to Read a Tea Label.

🌱 Season & plucking

Flush

フラッシュ

Flush refers to the 'harvest period' of tea leaves, where the flavor can significantly change depending on the season of picking, even within the same tea garden.

First Flush

ファーストフラッシュ

First Flush is a spring-harvested black tea made from the first new buds of the tea plant, characterized by a youthful green aroma and delicate astringency.

Second Flush

セカンドフラッシュ

Second Flush refers to the summer-harvested black tea, where the muscatel aroma peaks in Darjeeling.

Autumnal

オータムナル

Autumnal black tea, known for its mellow richness and subtle sweetness, pairs well with milk.

Quality Season

クオリティーシーズン

The time of year when the highest quality tea leaves are harvested in a specific region, varying by area in Sri Lanka.

Single Estate

シングルエステート

Single Estate tea is made exclusively from leaves harvested from one specific tea garden, showcasing its unique character in flavor.

Plucking

摘採

Picking the leaf. 'One bud and two leaves' is the mark of fine plucking.

⚙️ Processing

Orthodox

オーソドックス製法

A traditional method that preserves the shape of the tea leaves, enhancing delicate aromas and is the mainstream for loose leaf tea.

CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl)

CTC製法

CTC stands for Crush, Tear, Curl, referring to a method of processing tea leaves into small granules that brew quickly and strongly, ideal for milk tea and chai.

Blend

ブレンド

A tea created by blending multiple tea leaves to design a specific flavor profile, often serving as a flagship product for brands.

Flavored Tea

フレーバードティー

A type of black tea infused with the aromas of flowers or fruits, with Earl Grey being a prime example.

Withering

萎凋

The first step: freshly plucked leaves are laid out to lose moisture and go limp.

Rolling

揉捻

Withered leaves are rolled under pressure, breaking the cells and switching oxidation on.

Oxidation

酸化発酵

The step that makes black tea black. It is called fermentation, but no microbes are involved.

Drying / Firing

乾燥

Heat halts oxidation and brings the leaf down to a keepable moisture level.

Sorting / Grading

篩分け

Finished leaves are sieved by size, which is how grades are assigned.

Rotorvane

ローターバン

A machine that cuts leaf fine — sitting between orthodox and CTC.

Degree of oxidation

発酵度

How far oxidation is taken — the line between green, oolong and black tea.

Scenting / Flavoring

着香

Adding floral or fruit aroma to finished leaf — how flavoured teas are made.

Smoked tea

燻製茶

Tea smoked over pine and other woods. Lapsang Souchong is the best-known example.

🍂 Grades & leaf

Full Leaf / Whole Leaf

フルリーフ

Full leaf tea retains large, unbroken leaves, offering rich aromas and a leisurely brewing experience.

Broken

ブロークン

Broken tea leaves are finely chopped, allowing for a strong brew in a short time, making them ideal for milk tea or a quick morning cup.

Fannings / Dust

ファニングス／ダスト

Fannings and dust are finer tea leaves that brew very quickly, primarily used in tea bags.

Orange Pekoe

オレンジペコー（OP）

A grading symbol that indicates the 'size and shape' of tea leaves, unrelated to the scent of oranges.

Tip / Golden Tips

チップ（ゴールデンチップ）

Tip / Golden Tips refers to the unopened young buds of the tea plant, which are considered high quality and contribute to a sweet, refined flavor.

Leaf grade

等級

Codes like OP and BOP describe leaf size and appearance — not a ranking of quality.

Broken Orange Pekoe

BOP

Broken Orange Pekoe. Smaller than OP, so it brews strong in a short time.

Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings

BOPF

Finer still than BOP, and the usual choice for tea bags.

Flowery Orange Pekoe

FOP

Flowery Orange Pekoe — large leaf that includes bud (tip).

Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe

TGFOP

Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe — an FOP carrying plenty of golden bud. Common on Darjeeling.

Golden tip

ゴールデンチップ

Bud that has turned golden during manufacture. Teas rich in it often taste sweet.

Silver tip

シルバーチップ

Silvery bud still covered in down, from leaf that has not oxidised heavily.

🫖 Taste & brewing

Liquor Color

水色

Liquor color refers to the color of brewed black tea, pronounced 'suishoku' rather than 'mizuiro.'

Jumping

ジャンピング

Jumping refers to the convection of tea leaves rising and falling in a pot, signaling a delicious extraction.

Tannin

タンニン

Tannins are polyphenols that create the astringency in black tea and are also the source of its richness and lingering finish.

Cream Down (Tea Cream)

クリームダウン

The phenomenon where iced tea turns cloudy when chilled, caused by the binding of tannins and caffeine.

Golden Ring

ゴールデンリング

Golden Ring is a golden halo that appears at the edge of brewed black tea in the cup, considered a sign of high-quality tea.

Golden Drop / Best Drop

ゴールデンドロップ

The last drop from the pot, often referred to as the 'best drop,' is the most concentrated in flavor.

Muscatel

マスカテル

Muscatel is a tasting term that describes a sweet and rich aroma, derived from muscat grapes and their sweet wines.

Body

コク

The weight and thickness in the mouth — what decides whether milk overwhelms a tea.

Brisk

ブリスク

A lively, mouth-tightening astringency. A tasting term.

Theaflavin

テアフラビン

The orange-red pigment formed by oxidation, tied to brightness and briskness.

Thearubigin

テアルビジン

The red-brown pigment formed as oxidation goes further, tied to depth and body.

Milk in first

ミルクインファースト

Putting milk in the cup before the tea — a long-debated British habit.

Water hardness

硬水と軟水

How much mineral the water carries — it changes colour and taste markedly.

Decaffeinated tea

デカフェ

Tea with the caffeine removed — which is not the same as none at all.

Dry leaf

乾茶

The leaf before brewing. Its shape and colour tell you a lot.

Infused leaf

茶殻

The opened leaf after brewing — where plucking and processing show themselves.