When we taste tea, it's pretty easy for most people to form subjective thoughts such as “I like this” or “I don't like this.” But really, what's happening every time we taste tea?
We experience tea in multiple stages, starting with the aroma in our nose, moving into the taste on our palate, then the surrounding mouthfeel, and lastly, what's left in the aftertaste. In addition to the tasting hierarchy, we should also consider the dimensions of quality and quantity.
The more complex a tea (complexity comes with quality), the more pronounced and pleasant each stage is. We desire a long, clean, pleasant aftertaste. As quality rises, so does the volume of experience at an increasing rate as we move up the pyramid. For example, it is quite easy for tea to have a pleasant aroma but much more challenging to have a long and pleasant aftertaste.
As connoisseurs, we begin to build a memory of taste through attention and repetition, which we can draw on more easily to evaluate new things. Of course, we are each entitled to our own subjective preferences, but as connoisseurs, we want to develop an analytical approach to tasting, and that takes practice. This pyramid is one helpful tool for setting a structure within which we can practice. Everything we taste has a reason tied to the three pillars: terroir, cultivar, and processing.
Next time you sip your favorite tea, we recommend paying attention to each of these pyramid levels. Try to separate your experience of the aroma, taste, mouthfeel, and aftertaste. We hope these tips will help enhance your drinking experience and expand your understanding of your body and tea!
Try practicing with Jin Mu Dan: We feel Jin Mu Dan is a great tea for you to work on distinguishing the levels of the Tea Tasting Pyramid. It is a very complex tea with evident development of aroma, taste, texture, and aftertaste!
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