Learn how to taste tea like a professional with this beginner-friendly tea tasting guide. Discover simple steps, helpful tips and what to look for to better appreciate every cup of tea. Download my free Tea Tasting Notes Sheet, too!
What Does It Mean to Taste Tea Like a Professional?
Professional tea tasters do more than just sip a cup of tea and decide if they like it or not. They evaluate tea by paying attention to the tea’s appearance, aroma, flavour, mouthfeel and finish.
This same process can be done at home. Learning how to taste tea like a professional isn’t about finding the “right” tasting notes though. It is about becoming more aware of what you notice and discovering what you enjoy. For instance, one person might taste floral notes while another notices fruit notes. Both experiences are valid because there are no wrong answers.
Tea tasting is a skill that develops with practice, but the most important part is simply taking the time to enjoy the experience. Follow the steps below to get started.
Tea Tasting Tools
You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to start tasting tea like a professional. If you already enjoy making tea at home, you likely have most of these tools already.
- Tea: Loose leaf tea is ideal because you can observe the dry and wet leaves. However, you can still practice tea tasting with high-quality tea bags.
- Kettle: A variable temperature kettle makes it easy to steep different types of tea at their ideal temperature. If your kettle doesn’t have temperature settings, a kitchen thermometer works, too.
- Tea Spoon or Scale: Use a tea spoon to measure your tea leaves or a small digital kitchen scale if you prefer a more precise measurement.
- Tea Infuser or Teapot: Choose a tea infuser or teapot that gives the leaves plenty of room to expand as they steep.
- Cup or Mug: Any favourite tea cup or mug will do.
- Small Plate: A small white plate is helpful for examining the dry and wet tea leaves.
- Timer: Using a timer helps ensure you’re steeping the tea for the recommended amount of time so you don’t under or oversteep.
- Tea Tasting Notes Sheet (free printable below!): Jotting down your observations is a great way to remember what you enjoyed and discover how your palate develops over time.
Don’t worry if you don’t have every item on this list. Tea tasting isn’t about having the perfect setup.
You’ll notice I’m using a tea cupping set in the photos throughout this post. Tea professionals often use these simple white cups and bowls because it provides a consistent way to evaluate tea. You certainly don’t need a tea cupping set to follow along though! A teapot or infuser and your favourite mug work just as well for learning how to taste tea at home.
Step 1: Observe the Dry Tea Leaves
Before steeping your tea, take a moment to look at the dry leaves. Notice their size, shape and colour. Are they long and twisted or tightly rolled? Every tea looks a little different and observing the leaves helps you become more familiar with the tea before steeping.
When observing the appearance of the dry leaves, also take in their aroma. Do they smell floral, grassy, nutty or fruity? Notice what comes to mind and jot it down before getting the kettle.
Step 2: Steep the Tea Properly
To get the best tasting experience, steep your tea according to the recommended water temperature and steeping time. I recommend following the instructions that may be on the package of the tea you are preparing.
If you don’t have any instructions with your tea, check out my guide on how to steep a perfect cup of tea. Steeping a tea for too long or with water that is too hot can change its flavour, making it taste more bitter or astringent than intended.
When the tea is done steeping, do not discard the tea leaves. Place them on a small white dish to examine them later.
Step 3: Look and Smell Before You Sip
Before taking your first sip, pause for a moment to observe your steeped tea.
Notice the colour and clarity of the liquor. Is it pale gold, amber, reddish-brown or vibrant green? Then, bring the cup to your nose and inhale the aroma. Steeping often brings out even more scents than you noticed in the dry leaves.
As you smell the tea, ask yourself a few simple questions:
- Does it remind me of anything familiar?
- Is the aroma light and fresh or rich and toasty?
Taking a few extra seconds to look and smell your tea helps prepare your senses for the flavours you’ll discover in your first sip.
Step 4: Taste the Tea
Now it’s time for the best part…taking your first sip! Take a small sip and let the tea coat your tongue before swallowing.
Professional tea tasters often slurp their tea to aerate it and spread it across the palate. This may feel unusual or even impolite at first, but this technique can help professionals notice more flavours.
To try slurping, take a small sip and gently draw air into your mouth as you taste, allowing the tea and air to mix. This technique may be a bit noisy, so don’t worry about the sound!
As you sip (or slurp), think about these questions:
- What flavours do you notice first?
- Does the flavour change as you continue sipping?
- Is the tea naturally sweet, floral, fruity, nutty, vegetal, smoky or malty?
- Is the tea astringent?
- How is the mouthfeel? Some teas are light and crisp, while others may feel smooth, creamy or full-bodied.
It is okay if you can’t identify specific tasting notes right away. With practice, your palate will naturally become more familiar with different flavours.
Step 5: Notice the Finish
After you’ve swallowed, pause for a moment before taking another sip. Do any flavours linger? Does the tea leave a sweet, floral, cooling or drying sensation?
This lingering impression is called the finish. Some flavours may fade quickly, while others continue long after you’ve taken a sip.
Step 6: Look at the Infused Leaves
Take a look at the wet tea leaves after they were steeping. I find a small plain white dish is helpful for this because it is easier to see the leaves clearly without any colour or design distractions.
Notice how the tea leaves may have unfurled and changed from their dry appearance. You may also find that the spent leaves have a different aroma than they did before steeping.
This final step helps you appreciate the tea’s journey from leaf to cup and can deepen your understanding of different tea styles.
If you don’t want the fun to end, repeat all of these steps with various teas!
Tea Tasting Tips for Beginners
Like any skill, tea tasting becomes easier the more you practice. Keep these few simple tips in mind to help:
- Taste tea before adding milk or sweetener. This allows you to experience the tea’s natural flavour first.
- Compare teas side by side. Steeping two different teas at the same time makes it easier to notice what makes each one unique.
- Keep a tea tasting journal. Writing down your tasting notes helps you remember what you enjoyed.
- Build your flavour vocabulary. Pay attention to the aromas and flavours of everyday foods like fruit, herbs, spices and chocolate. These experiences can help you describe what you taste in your tea.
- Trust your own palate. Your tasting notes don’t have to match someone else’s. Tea tasting is personal. There are no wrong answers!
Tea Tasting Terms to Know
As you explore more teas, you’ll come across a few common tasting terms. Here are 5 worth knowing:
- Aroma: The scents you notice before and while tasting the tea.
- Liquor: The steeped tea in your cup (not alcohol!).
- Mouthfeel: How the tea feels in your mouth (ie. smooth or silky).
- Astringency: A pleasant drying sensation.
- Finish: The flavours that remain after you’ve swallowed the tea.
If you’re curious about more tea terminology, be sure to check out my Tea Terms Glossary, where I explain common tea words and phrases in beginner-friendly language.
Download the Free Tea Tasting Notes Sheet
Are you ready to put these tea tasting tips into practice? Subscribe to The Cup of Life newsletter using the form below and I’ll send the free Tea Tasting Notes Sheet straight to your inbox so you can download it and record your tea tasting adventures.