1. Soup aroma evaluation
Leaf-in-evaluation-cup aroma refers to aroma of tea leaves in the cup after soup aroma evaluation. It’s the evaporated flavor of the tea product after brewing. It’s also an aroma evaluation method that’s most commonly used and best reflecting and most approximate to the natural aroma of the tea product per se. The aroma of tea is determined by many factors, including the type of the tea tree, place of origin of the tea tree, the tea’s production season and methods of tea harvesting and processing, which endow various tea products with unique aromas. In leaf-in-evaluation-cup aroma assessment, the evaluator looks at the purity, intensity and duration of the aroma apart from telling the type of aroma involved.
(1) Purity and impurity
Purity refers to purity of tea aroma, which incorporates aroma of the tea itself, aroma typical of the tea’s geographical region and added aroma. Aroma of the tea itself is the original aroma of the tea, such as the aged aroma of Pu’er tea. Examples of aromas typical of the tea’s geographical region include aromas of orchids, fruits and sticky rice etc. Added aromas include added external aromas such as the aroma of jasmine flowers in jasmine tea. Impurity means the tea aroma is mixed with foreign aromas such as burns, smoke, sourness, staleness and grease.
(2) Aroma Types
Pu’er tea features so many aroma types that it’s hard to list them all or fully illustrate them. Based on built-up experience, it can largely be classified as light and fresh aroma, flower aroma, fruit and vegie aroma, sugary aroma, aged aroma and smoky aroma. Refer to the following table for details:
Table on P.143
Aroma Type Description
Light and fresh aroma light and fresh, tender buds
Flower aroma flower scent, pollen scent, wildflower scent, orchid scent
Fruit and vegie aroma scent of beans, corn, sweet potato, sticky rice, raisins and nuts, plum and fruits
Sugary aroma sweet scent of nectar, sugar, fruits, honey etc.
Aged aroma scent of camphor, medicinal herbs,sour honey, wood and old age
Smoky aroma scent of smoke and pine trees
Unfermented Pu’er tea products mostly feature light and fresh aroma, flower aroma, fruit and vegie aroma, and smoky aroma. Aged unfermented Pu’er tea features aged aroma. For example, Product No. 7542, a benchmark product of Menghai Tea Factory, features flower and fruit aromas and Product No. 7572 features sugary aroma.
(3) Aroma levels
Aromas levels can be determined for the following attributes:strength, freshness, coolness, purity, plainness and roughness. Strength means the aroma is strong and stimulating; freshness means the aroma is refreshing and uplifting like a breath of fresh air; coolness means cozy and new but not too strong; purity means freedom from foreign smell; plainness means bland and free from foreign or mixed smell; and roughness means the leaves are old and rough.
Aroma can be classified into the following levels based on strength:
Level of Aroma Description
Intense Full and lasting aroma, stimulating
Strong Strong and heavy scent
Fragrant Elegant and lasting fragrance
High and uplifting Uplifting and lasting fragrance
Pure Pure but not stimulating
Pure medium fragrance Peaceful and pure fragrance
Low fragrance Peaceful, low fragrance
Super low fragrance Dull, suppressed and unpleasant fragrance
(4) Duration
Time period in which the aroma lasts. Long duration of aroma means the tea stays fragrant throughout the evaluation process. Usually, the duration of the aroma can be assessed by smelling the cold tea soup and the tea leaves in brewing water.
2. Fragrance of dry tea leaves
Though dry tea leaves are comparatively less fragrant,their multiple aroma discrepancies can be found in many ways through careful smelling. The first step in Pu’er tea evaluation is smelling dry tea leaves, through which the evaluator can examine the purity and impurities of the tea product and find out if it has foreign or strange smells. Usually, tea products with smoke or mildew can be smelt during this step. Dry-leaf smelling can also help tell the age of the tea leaves. For example, recent fermented tea manifests an obvious smell of piling while aged unfermented tea gradually gives off an aged smell. Dry-leaf smelling can also help tell aroma type and level. For example, through dry-leaf smelling, one can find flower-scent or nectar-scent tea products. Because there are numerous Pu’er tea products, dry-leaf smelling can help evaluators preliminarily screen them before moving on to leaf-in-brew evaluation for further work.
3. Tea soup aroma
This refers to fragrance of the tea leached out for tea brew evaluation. Before reviewing the soup color and smelling the aroma, the reviewer can smell the scent of the tea soup to tell the aroma type and the level of the tea. Foreign and mixed smells such as smoke and burning and burns can also be smelt when they are obvious. Flower, sugar and aged scents can also be felt when they are strong.
4. Aroma of tea leaves in the brew
To evaluate the aroma of brewed tea is to empty the brewed leaves into a plate and smell their fragrance. Aroma of brewed tea leaves is an import factor of tea aroma evaluation that can be used to judge aroma purity, type, level and duration. Usually, brewed tea leaves that smack of smoke and burning are leaves of impure aroma. Those that have uplifting, lasting aroma imply that the original tea product itself has uplifting and lasting aroma. While hot, warm and cold smelling help tell aroma in different time spans, brewed leaf smelling helps determine the overall aroma of the tea in a comprehensive manner, which is why the later is also an important factor for tea product evaluation. In Pu’er tea evaluation, aroma perception is a pathway to aesthetic harvest. Variety of tea products gives rise to complexity of aroma types, while different time spans and aromas add to the fun of tea appreciation. A good understanding of the true nature, story and nuances of Pu’er tea can lead to aesthetic empathy.
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