From The Modern Art of Tea
by Cai Rongzhang
Translated and abridged by Luo Zhaohua

The aroma of tea can be experienced three ways—through the dry leaf, the infusion, and the wet leaf or dregs. As we have already discussed the aroma of the dry leaf, we will now discuss the aroma of the dregs and of the infusion.

After pouring out the infusion, lift the lid off of the pot or infusing cup and quickly smell the aroma of the wet leaves. The characteristic odor of each kind of leaf can leave a strong impression—is it vegetal, flowery, fruity or malty? Or is there a smoky aroma, an oily aroma, a burned aroma, a clean aroma, or some other kind of aroma? You should be able to tell if the leaf was old or new, how much it was fermented, and how heavily it was fired.

Wait for the leaf to cool off a little and smell it again—this is called the "middle aroma." This time, you should be able to discern the purity of the leaf, the strength or weakness of the aroma as well as its special characteristics, and certainly its grade.

After drinking all of the tea, the leaves will be cold. Smell them again—this is called the "cold aroma." Move the leaves around a little and smell the remaining fragrance. Poor quality leaves will have no aroma left at this point.

Smelling the aroma of the dregs allows you to do more than just appraise the quality of the tea. When spending time with tea-drinking friends, the amount of satisfaction gained from drinking can be increased by paying more attention to the leaf.

After the first infusion has been poured off ["moistening the leaves"], open the lid and smell the fragrance that comes wafting up. You can gently wave the pot beneath each guest’s nose, which will allow them to realize that they are drinking no ordinary tea. If you are with close friends, they can tell you their opinion of the tea. The aroma of the tea is of a very volatile nature, and after one infusion, when the fragrance comes drifting up, you can become partly intoxicated without having a sip.

To appreciate the aroma of the tea liquor, raise the cup in front of your nose; the smell of orchid, pear, or roasted chestnut may be immediately apparent. But the aroma will disperse quickly, so you will want to let your mouth and oral cavity experience the tea. Take a mouthful and hold it in your mouth without moving it, letting the aroma ascend. Move it vigorously to your cheeks, so that the aroma can move to your nasal cavity. This style of drinking is very good for experiencing the aroma of the tea. Some teas smell wonderful as dry leaf but develop little fragrance when infused and sipped. For this we cannot completely blame the tea maker; rainy weather or poor quality raw leaves may also be causes.

Prepared by and property of: "The Tea Man"
May not be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent of: "The Tea Man"
Copyright © February 1996

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