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When Buying Tea, Look First at the Dry Leaf

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

What are the main points to consider when drinking tea? Obviously, criticism and praise are the two important aspects of judging tea, and the only way to develop an ability to discern good tea from bad is by immersing oneself in the world of tea appreciation. We will now begin to discuss several aspects of discernment that apply to how the leaf was fired.

Whether or not it was well dried

When buying tea and inspecting it, first use your hands to touch it to see how well it was dried; your hands will be able to tell if some of the tea is softer. If the leaves still have moisture in them, you will not want to buy them as they will deteriorate rapidly.

Whether or not the leaves are consistent in appearance

Look closely at the leaves to see if they are neat and in good order. Stems, twigs, yellow leaves and jagged pieces are all unwanted material, but on the other hand don’t be so critical as to not expect any at all. Human labor is more and more expensive, and we cannot rely on machines to keep the tea free of twigs. Yellow leaves signify that the tea has been adulterated with older leaves, while the presence of small bits and pieces of leaf here and there is unavoidable. These kinds of substances are all allowed in small amounts.

Whether or not the leaf is well formed

After examining the consistency of appearance of the leaves, you will want to check how well the leaf has been shaped. This is a function of how well the tea was kneaded and rolled, and there are certain general specifications—Long Jing [Lung Ching, "Dragon Well"] should be like double-edged sword blades, Lu Cha ["Green Tea"] should be naturally curled and not too tightly rolled, Dong Ding [Tung Ting, "Cold Peak"] should be rolled halfway into balls like little dragons, and Tie Guan Yin [T’ie Kuan Yin, "Iron Goddess of Mercy"] should be tightly rolled into balls. Without a doubt, there are requirements for the appearance of the leaf which are just as relevant as flavor and aroma.

Color and fragrance

Next, look at the color of the liquor and smell its fragrance. Good tea will manifest a jewel-like liquor; heavily fired tea will have a deeper color that will gradually lose its luster, while well made, lightly fermented tea will have the fresh, glistening green color of wet frog’s skin. Using the tea tray, bring it close to your nose and smell it— good tea will have a fresh, pure fragrance that is appropriate for its type. Lu Cha should present a warm or fiery fragrance, more heavily fermented teas like Wu Long [Oolong] should have a fruity aroma, and red teas should have a malty aroma.

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