Whether you are a newbie at drinking tea or sipping it for years, identifying the right black tea leaves for yourself is extremely important. High quality tea leaves do all the magic. And identifying this quality is dependent on your senses. Therefore here are four tips that will help you choose the best black tea leaves for yourself.
Watch Before You Go
When we talk about the senses that can identify the best tea for you, the first one is sight. Generally there are two types of tea processing, Cut-Tear-Curl and Orthodox. In the CTC method, as the name suggests, tea leaves are cut, torn and curled into little pellets. This particular type of processing is suitable for teabags. It delivers strong and black tea leaves.
On the other hand, tea leaves derived through the orthodox method need ample delicacy for minimal breakage. These tea leaves are rolled to keep their flavor and aromatic compounds preserved. The leaves that are crumbled and contain a lot of woot fragments are removed because they generally have less flavourful taste.
Touch To Feel
High quality tea leaves are smooth and sturdy. When you touch them, they should leave some heft in your hands. In case the leaf you touch is too light, there might be chances that the leaves are too old or over dried. As per the Australian tea companies, high quality tea leaves do not crumble when you touch them. They feel slippery on the hands and are smooth to touch.
Smell The Aroma
Next way to know if the black tea leaves are of good quality or not is by smelling their distinct aroma. After you are done taking the feel of the tea leaf, inhale them deeply. If the amount of scent is found while inhaling, there are chances that the tea leaves are of low quality or getting old. In case they smell like fresh grass, earthy, floral and sweet then they belong to good quality. The moment you steep these tea leaves, they should amplify the unique scents and be aromatic. This way you can identify the authenticity of tea leaves just by smelling them.
Taste To Know
A good tea will have a strong and recognizable taste. After you are done making the tea, sip it down slowly and let it roll over your tongue travelling all your tastebuds. While this happens you might feel a layer of different flavours that are bright, refreshing and smooth. As there are ample organic teas in Australia that are available in the market, with every tea drink you will experience a different flavour. Regardless of what type of tea you sip, a good quality tea will activate different flavours in your mouth.
