When buying 300kg or 500kg of tea, a small difference in quality can ruin your reputation. Here is how professional tea tasters judge quality.
1. Visual Test (Leaf Appearance)
- Blackness: Good processed black tea should be black or dark brown, not gray or fiber-filled.
- Size Uniformity: In a specific grade (like BP), all granules should be roughly the same size. Too much dust in a leaf grade is bad.
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2. Aroma Test (Smell)
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Request Free Samples →Take a handful of dry leaves and breathe on them (to warm them up). Then smell deeply. It should smell fresh, sweet, or malty. If it smells like damp cardboard or hay, it's old or moisture-damaged.
3. Liquor Test (The Brew)
This is the final verdict. Brew 3 grams in 150ml boiling water for 5 minutes.
- Color: Should be bright red or copper. Dull brown is bad.
- Briskness: Good tea makes your gums feel "dry" or lively. This "briskness" is the sign of high caffeine and polyphenols.
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