Pouchong:       Some of the finest quality and high priced teas. A very fragrant tea which is also used as a base for making Jasmine Tea.

PU-Er / PU-Erh: Technically classified not as black but dark black tea, the best of which is aged for decades before use. The base may be green tea or black, and its tastes and aromas can range from earthy to elegant. In China it has been customarily drunk with or after meals as a digestif.

Pungent:          Describes a tea liquor having marked briskness and an astringent effect on the palate without bitterness.

Quality:            Describes a preponderance of desirable attributes which are the essential characteristics of a good tea.

Rains; rainy:    Describes liquor of a dull plain tea manufactured during the rainy season.

Red Tea:          Background:
The term “Red Tea” has always been confusing to both the tea trade as well as consumers. The situation has worsened today as a result of the introduction of a South African Herbal plant called Rooibos or Red Bush from which an herbal tea is made. The purpose of this Position Paper is to provide a guideline for both the trade and consumers to help distinguish between traditional tea, from Camellia sinensis and Rooibos Herbal tea.

Early Definition:
Beginning in the 16th Century and extending to the beginning of the 20th Century, the term “Red Tea” was used by Chinese tea merchants as their name for what the rest of the world would call Black Tea. Today, the term is still used in China, but much less commonly.

In its original form, it described a fully fermented / oxidized tea and it was (is) subsequently used to describe both fully fermented and semi-fermented teas by some members of the Trade.

Current Usage:
Today, several packers of Rooibos have begun labeling their tea as Red Tea. Used alone without any qualification, this can be misleading to consumers who think they are consuming traditional tea so that they may benefit from the much publicized health benefits associated with that product. While Rooibos Tea may also contain health benefits, the body of research supporting claims for Rooibos is tiny in comparison to the volumes of scientific evidence published about the health benefits of Camellia sinensis.

To avoid this potential for confusion, The Tea Association of the USA has approved the following guideline for dissemination to the traditional and herbal tea industries:

Red Tea Guideline:
When using the term “Red Tea” to describe a product derived from the Rooibos or Red Bush plant, the term should be qualified by stating that it contains Rooibus Herbal Tea. When using the term “Red Tea” to describe a traditional Black Tea or Oolong Tea, the term should be so qualified through the use of these descriptors.

While an element of confusion continues to exist, the appropriate use of these modifiers should minimize it.

Rich:                A mellow liquor which is abounding in quality and thickness.

Roughness:      A term used to connote harshness.

Russian Carava:           A blend of China Black Teas. Although there is little consistency between available blends in the marketplace.

Sappy:             Describes a tea liquor which has a full juicy flavor.

Scented tea:    These are teas which, after processing are put in close proximity with various flowers or spices under controlled temperature and humidity conditions for periods of about 4 hours and then refired.

Self-drinking:   Describes an original tea which is palatable in itself and does not necessarily require blending before being consumed by the public.

Sencha:           These are teas which Japan exports and comprise about 75% of Japan's total production.

Silver Tip Pekoe:         A very costly tea from China made from full-grown buds of a special tea bush. This is also referred to as White Tea.

Silvery Oolong:            Another costly tea which utilizes the delicate whitish leaf from the first flush.

Smokey:          This term describes an odor or taste of smoke, often caused by a defect in the drier.

Soft:                 A tea which is under fermented or oxidized.

Sour:                This describes an undesirable acid odor and taste.

Spicy:              A liquor having character, suggestive of cinnamon or cloves. This is sometimes, but not always, the effect of contamination.

Stalk:               Used to describe a tea with visible stalk.

Standing up:    A tea which holds its original color and flavor is described in this manner.

Stand-out:        No surprises here. A tea liquor which is above average.

Stewed; stewy:            Describes certain thick liquoring teas, having undesirable characteristics as a result of incorrect firing.

Strength; strong:  Describes a liquor with powerful tea characteristics, but not necessarily thick. A very desirable characteristic, but not essential in certain flavoury teas.

Sumatra:          Tea grown on the island of Sumatra. Gradings and characteristics are similar to Java teas.

Tainted:           An undesirable characteristic with a taste and odor foreign to the tea.

Tannin:            The chemical component of tea thought to be responsible for its presumed health benefits. One of the major components which contributes to the taste and pungency of tea.

Tarry:               A tea which has a smokey aroma.

Tea:                 The leaf and extracted liquor of the shrub Camellia sinensis. No other beverages merit the unqualified term tea.

Tea Taster:      An expert judge of the beverage. A person who uses organoleptic means to discern various characteristics and qualities of tea.

Tip:                  The leaf bud of the Camellia sinensis plant.

Thick:               Describes tea liquor having substance, but not necessarily strength.

Thin; weak:      Tea liquor which lacks thickness or strength.

Tisane:             A term which describes an herbal infusion.

Toasty:             A tea which has been slightly overfired during processing. It may be a desirable characteristic in some Darjeeling teas.

Weathery:        Describes a soft, unpleasant characteristic, which is occasionally evident in the liquors of teas processed during very wet weather.

Weak:              Teas which have a thin liquor.

White Tea:       Background
To date, “genuine” white tea is considered to be derived from the first flush buds of the tea bush and grown exclusively in the Fujian Province of China. The name of ‘white tea’ refers to the silver-colored (white) hairs on the picked tea bud. White tea is the least processed of all teas. It isn’t rolled first but is immediately fired. White tea has a strong health association for consumers, but has never been studied exclusively according to public knowledge. Availability is limited and cost high as a result of the limitations of both the plucking standard and its geographical availability. Based on current demands for white tea, a new geographic standard has been proposed.

Proposed New Definition
The Tea Association of the USA has proposed a new definition.
In order for White Tea to be so termed it should be:

Processed in accordance with the strict harvesting and processing guidelines originally established in Fujian Province, China

Made from finely plucked tender shoots (buds) of Camellia sinensis, which are fired or steamed and then dried.

There should be no withering, fermentation (oxidation) or rolling of the buds.

The liquor of White Tea is very pale yellow in color, and mild tasting in the cup.

White Tea can be made by any tea producing country providing manufacture conforms to the above harvesting and processing steps.

Pure Buds - This corresponds to :Snow Buds” or “Silver Needles” from China and Silver Tip from Sri Lanka, e.g., whole long fine unopened buds delivering very light subtle liquor.

Whole Leaf - Chinese Pai Mu Tan is commonly called White Tea. It contains both fine whole buds and coarse unfermented and non-graded green leaves. Value depends on proportion of buds, leaf appearance as well as liquor quality and color (the paler, the better). Fannings Grade - For tea bag usage, green fannings that exhibit a high content of tip may be included as White Tea. The presence of tip must be clear and confirmed by a tea expert.

Well twisted:    A tea leaf which is tightly rolled or twisted, indicative of good withering.

Wiry:                Another term which means well twisted.

Woody:            A characteristic reminiscent of freshly-cut timber. This trait is usually associated with teas processed very late in the season