It is good to be able to drink good tea, but choosing a good tea is not an easy task.

There are many types of Chinese tea on the market with varying quality, and many tea lovers are often confused when buying tea.

Here are 8 practical methods for you to check out.

In fact, the quality of tea is mainly determined by sensory evaluation, which is done by judging the appearance and internal quality of the tea.

1. Appearance review: visible quality

1). Tenderness

Look at the bud tip and hair

Tenderness is an important indicator of Chinese Tea From China quality. High-quality tea leaves have many buds and small leaves, usually with abundant hairs, giving people a fuzzy feeling. Tea leaves with poor tenderness usually have thick leaves, few buds, and no hairs.

Tips: When choosing Chinese tea, try to choose tea leaves with full buds and bright colors. Such teas usually have a fresher aroma and flavor.

2). Shape

Tightness and neatness

The shape of tea leaves can also reflect their quality. Good tea leaves are tight and neat, giving a clean and neat feeling; loose tea leaves are usually of poor quality.

Tip: When purchasing, you can gently pinch the tea to feel its firmness, quality tea usually feels better.

3). Color

Consistent and smooth color

Different types of tea have different color criteria, but no matter what kind of tea it is, tea with a consistent and smooth color is usually of higher quality. On the contrary, tea with a dull and mottled color is often of poor uality.

Tips: When choosing, try to choose teas with bright colors and strong luster, as such teas are usually more attractive.

4). Clarity

No inclusions and debris

The appearance of high-quality tea leaves should be neat and uniform, without inclusions or debris. The high purity of tea leaves indicates that they are carefully made and processed.

Tips: When purchasing, you can gently stir the tea leaves with your hands to see if there are any impurities or debris. High-quality tea leaves are usually cleaner.

2. Internal Quality Review: The Secret of Taste

Appearance evaluation is only the first step. Next, we need to further judge the quality of the tea through internal quality evaluation.

1). Smell the aroma

Combination of hot, warm and cold smells

Aroma is the soul of tea. When judging the aroma of tea, hot, warm and cold smells should be combined. Hot smell can identify whether the aroma is pure and whether there is any smoky, burnt or other smells; warm smell can identify the type, height and strength of the aroma; cold smell can determine the persistence of the aroma.

Tips: Be aware that the sense of smell can easily become fatigued. When sniffing the tea, it is best to limit the sniffing to about 3 seconds to avoid fatigue caused by excessive sniffing.

2). Look at the soup color

Soup color and clarity

The color of tea soup is an important indicator for judging the quality of tea, mainly focusing on the nature, depth, brightness, clarity and amount of sediment in the tea soup. Good tea soup is usually clear and bright with uniform color.

Tips: When tasting tea, pour it into a white cup and observe its clarity and color, which will help you better judge the quality of the tea.

3). Taste

Use your tongue to taste

When tasting tea, you can use a teaspoon to take a spoonful of tea soup, put it into your mouth, and swirl it around with your tongue to quickly identify the purity, concentration, and freshness of the tea soup. High-quality tea usually tastes fresh, mellow, and has a long-lasting sweetness.

Tips: When tasting tea, you might as well taste it slowly and carefully feel the changes of the tea soup in your mouth, so that you can better experience the flavor of the tea.

4). Leaf base evaluation

Observe tenderness, uniformity and color

Finally, evaluating the tea leaves is also an important step in judging the quality of tea. The main observations are its tenderness, uniformity and color. The leaves of high-quality tea are usually bright green and uniform in color.

Tips: After tasting the tea, you can take out the tea leaves and observe the condition of the leaf bottom. The leaf bottom of high-quality tea usually shows good tenderness and color.

Final Thoughts

With the above 8 tips, you can probably identify the quality of tea more easily.

Whether it is appearance evaluation or internal quality evaluation, it is to help you quickly identify and find the tea that suits you best.

When buying tea, remember to try it. Of course, once you become an expert in tea making, it is actually much easier. You may be able to tell whether it is good or bad just by smelling or looking at it.