TeaChat

Fukamushi Dynasty wrote:All those aspects could still be present in a bad tea.



*Gives up*

That's just it, any list you create can apply to bad teas as well. If it were otherwise then becoming a tea-master would pretty much just be a matter of memorization.

There's definitely a fair amount of subjective judgement involved, and each type of tea is going to have different qualities to look for. I think you also have to consider the steeping, as it can change things as well. As an example, any tea can be bitter if over-steeped or too thin if under-steeped. I don't tolerate any bitterness in my teas, but that can usually be remedied by steeping it differently unless the tea is stale.

I would say the main thing to look for is how forgiving the tea is and how many steeps it yields. There will still be exceptions, but good quality teas are usually pretty easy to steep as long as you have the right teaware, parameters, and conditions (Wuyi seems to be affected by the weather, for example).

Now there is the good opinion I was hoping for.

teaisgood wrote:Please share your knowledge of how to judge a tea's quality, besides the price.

To judge the quality of a tea is very simple (after having found the better brewing parameters to my taste): the frequency at which I drink it. Quality tea packages always seem to empty themselves very fast.

olivierco wrote:

teaisgood wrote:Please share your knowledge of how to judge a tea's quality, besides the price.

To judge the quality of a tea is very simple (after having found the better brewing parameters to my taste): the frequency at which I drink it. Quality tea packages always seem to empty themselves very fast.

Exactly! This is a variation on my method and more statistically accurate.