How Do You Inhale Coffee and Tea While Tasting?
Professional tasters do not simply drink; they slurp, pulling air in with the liquid so more aroma reaches the olfactory region. The same slurping method is common in coffee cupping, and it applies to tea as well. The article explains utensil choice, water temperature control and how to judge body, flavor change and aftertaste.
To taste this way, discard tea bags and use a teapot with loose leaves. Check water temperature with a thermometer, since different teas work well at different temperatures, and use filtered water rather than tap water. The tea should be warm, not scalding; if it is too hot, wait a few minutes before sipping.
To truly appreciate the complex layers and subtle flavors of a good tea, ordinary brewing is far from enough—you also need a refined tasting method. This article covers everything from choosing utensils and controlling water temperature to the act of tasting, explaining in detail how professional tea tasters use "slurping" to let the tea fully contact the air, thereby releasing more aroma. It also teaches you how to assess the body of the tea, the changes in flavor, and the length of the aftertaste once swallowed. The article also mentions that this slurping method is equally common in coffee cupping; Front Street Coffee also applies a similar principle when evaluating coffee beans. Whether you are a beginner tea lover or a seasoned enthusiast, these techniques can help you experience the full pleasure that tea brings more completely.
If you want to delve deeper into the truly complex character of tea and uncover all its flavors and nuances, you might consider trying these techniques. Because fully experiencing what tea has to offer requires some ritual and a very special way of tasting. We warn you: if you're afraid of making strange noises in front of others, you should do this alone at home. But if you don't care what others think, then wherever you are, you can drink tea this way.
First things first
When tasting tea, to truly enjoy the complete experience, you need to discard tea bags and use a teapot and loose leaves. You should also consider checking the water temperature with a thermometer before brewing, because different teas work best at different temperatures. Use filtered water, not tap water—this is a basic principle of brewing good tea. Finally, after the tea is poured, stick your nose into the teapot and see how much aroma you can smell. You'll soon discover that aroma is an important factor in tasting tea.
The proper way to taste tea is to make noise
Professional tea tasters don't just drink their tea; they make sounds just like people do when drinking hot soup. The point isn't to cool the tea, but to aerate it, letting more aroma drift to the olfactory region (that is, your nose) to smell and taste the tea. If you find the tea too hot, wait a few more minutes. Tea should be warm, not scalding.
Here's how you can do it: sip the tea forcefully, inhale quickly with your mouth, and let the tea flow between your lips and teeth. Don't be afraid to make loud noises. Once you have the aerated tea in your mouth, gently slap it with your tongue and cheeks, giving every taste bud a chance to taste it. By tasting and smelling the tea, we can tap into an infinite treasure trove of knowledge we use as reference points. And this method is also commonly seen in coffee cupping—what we usually call slurping; Front Street Coffee also uses a similar principle when evaluating coffee beans.
A few things to note:
Body. Estimate the weight of the tea. Does it feel thin like water or thick like cream? "Body" refers to the weight of the tea, that is, the substances or texture it contains. White tea and Chinese green tea are both very light, feeling almost like water. Thick Japanese green tea usually feels like broth, somewhat like a heavier chicken soup. Some oolong teas are actually called "creamy" because they coat your mouth like thick cream. Black tea has different weights: the body of black tea is often described as brisk or astringent, because black tea dries out the mouth.
The body of the tea is also one of the best indicators of brewing strength. Although poorly brewed tea will still release plenty of aroma, its body will suffer. Is the tea thin or pale? Even the lightest tea should have a little texture; thin tea may need more time to brew, or it may need more dry leaves. Or does it taste bitter, making you purse your lips? Then the tea may have been brewed too long.
Flavor. Once you've determined the tea's aroma and body, you can finally start sorting out its taste. Ask yourself what else this tea tastes like: spinach? Mango? Keep tasting. Just like good wine, the longer tea stays in your mouth, the more its flavor changes. As the tea cools, the flavor also changes, and in some cases, such as with kudzu root and oolong tea, when you rebrew the leaves. After you swallow the tea, see how long you can still taste it. The final mark of a good tea is how long its flavor lingers in your mouth after you swallow. This is called the tea's "aftertaste," and some teas can have an aftertaste that lasts 10 to 15 minutes.
That's all there is to it! Except for one Hani rule: have fun! My father learned a very valuable lesson from the famous German tea broker Bernd Wulf, who taught him the method of tasting tea. He told my father that when he slurps, he should pay attention to his emotions, and then gave this advice: "Only buy tea that makes you smile." As you begin your tea-tasting journey, think about which tea flavors you like and which teas you find boring, and remember this: only drink tea that makes you smile.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
