By Greg Lui
There’s an art and ritual to tea.There is also a complex matrix in the way it is grown, processed, steeped and served. However tea is a beverage that is destined to be savoured. And when it comes to enjoying the finest cup of tea, our taste buds need some basic training.
The front and back of the tongue contain the taste buds, and while all taste buds are capable of detecting sweet, sour, bitter and salty flavours, there are varying degrees of sensitivity. To achieve the highest experience, when tasting tea, elegantly roll the tea around your mouth to allow all of your taste buds to participate in the detection of the finer flavours of the tea.
There are only three basics you need to consider when you evaluate the taste of fine tea: look, smell, taste.
Look. You can tell a lot about a tea simply by analysing its appearance. The tea should be poured into a clean white tea cup so that you can examine the colour.
Smell. Swirl your tea. This releases molecules in the tea allowing you to smell the bouquet or aroma. After you smell the tea, sit back and contemplate the aroma. Don’t try to “taste” the tea yet, concentrate only on what you smell.
Taste. The most important quality of a tea is its balance of sweetness, grassiness, aromatic and tannic. If you really want to learn and develop a strong affinity for the world’s finest teas make sure to sip it slowly. The key is to sip it, not gulp it. There is no such thing as bottoms up when you are drinking tea. Occasionally, I personally enjoy my tea with a small piece of fine dark chocolate. As you get more familiar with fine teas, your refined taste buds will tell you what is the perfect accompaniment with your cup of tea.
And when it comes to the finest teas, the Opulent Collection represents the pinnacle of quality, taste and freshness. Try all 17 unique offerings exclusively at Blenz Coffee.
