To review or not to review

[Jayaratna]

Dear teachatters,

I am wonderig how many of us keep notes on the teas they drink. I'd be particularly interested to know if you use any kind of check list or pre-formatted modules.

Does doing so help enhancing your tea experience?

Thanks,
ज

[Chris418]

I've been drinking tea more seriously since 3 years and i dont take notes.
Sometimes i want to begin taking notes but i prefer enjoy the moment by itself.
I think note Will be different every time even with the same tea.

My2cent

Chris

[Jayaratna]

What would you note down if you decided to review?

[mcrdotcom]

I used to do it, but it became a bit of an effort. Since stopping my blog I haven't had the "need" to either, but when I do start reviewing again online I will take notes on the teas to be reviewed!

It can be useful in learning to identify teas you enjoy and such, but in general it's not really necessary because it's so subjective. It's better to sip and think about it I think

As for what I'd note... I tend to focus on the start, middle and finish for the tea, how quick the onset is, how long the finish is and such. Mouthfeel is exceptionally important IMO. Then just the tasting notes I can decipher, and how the tea makes me feel! I specifically note the changes in subsequent brews, noting how the tea develops

[Jayaratna]

As for what I'd note... I tend to focus on the start, middle and finish for the tea, how quick the onset is, how long the finish is and such. Mouthfeel is exceptionally important IMO. Then just the tasting notes I can decipher, and how the tea makes me feel! I specifically note the changes in subsequent brews, noting how the tea develops

This is very interesting.

So far we have:

• Start
  Middle
  Finish
  Mouthfeel
  Tasting notes
  Feeling
  Changes (evolution in subsequent infusions)

Could you give a definition of these words (ok, some of them are quite obvious, but still...)?

Another question: do you think this scheme would apply to any kind of tea?


ज

[mcrdotcom]

• Start
  Middle
  Finish
  Mouthfeel
  Tasting notes
  Feeling
  Changes (evolution in subsequent infusions)

Could you give a definition of these words (ok, some of them are quite obvious, but still...)?

Start/Onset = The speed at which you begin tasting the tea in your mouth, the intensity of the flavour as it enters the mouth and how it develops etc...

Middle = The tasting notes for the tea at it's peak intensity, how it feels in your mouth (mouth feel) as you move it about

Finish = As you swallow the tea, how long do the flavours linger, where do they linger, is there hui gan (after taste and feeling in the back of the mouth and on the tongue) and how long does it last.

Mouthfeel = how does the tea feel... Is it thin or thick in consistency, is it cooling or warming, that sort of thing

Tasting notes = Parts of the tea's flavour you can pick out that compare to actual foods/drinks/smells (like grapefruits, or a vegetable etc...)

Feeling = does the tea make you calm or upbeat? Warm or cool? Happy or sad? Literally, how does the tea make you feel as a whole person

Changes = Any of the above that are different in a subsequent steeping.

Yes this applies to all tea, but it really comes alive with oolongs and puerhs due to the complexity and depth of these teas.

[JRS22]

Thanks mcrdotcom for this helpful list. The one I have the most trouble with is the 'tasting notes' but I may try some of the others as I drink my way through 10 infusions of Yancha.

I tend now just to keep brewing notes, using an iPhone app - best pot, qty, temp, time per infusion.

[JBaymore]

http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... pertaster/

[Jayaratna]

Amazing: don't you think we should discuss more about how to taste?

ज

[Evan Draper]

http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... pertaster/

Fun party game. Maybe I will try it at new year's.

[mganz42]

I keep notes, using Word's notebook format... I have a tab for each tea and so far it's quite unwieldy! I usually write down these factors on a scale of 1-5:
Aroma - how strong/pleasant it is plus a description of what aromas are there in the dry leaf, wet leaf and liquor
Body
Aftertaste
Umami
Stamina and Intensity - how intense the flavor is and how many brews I can get out of it before the "sweet water phase"
Lack of Bitterness or Astringency
Sweetness
Complexity
Chill potential
Food pair

[Jayaratna]

Body

What does body mean to you?

[mganz42]

Body

What does body mean to you?

I suppose it is a sense of the "weight" or substance of the tea - how thick the liquor is, how much structure and texture it seems to have. Some people would describe it as the opposite of acidity. For example, I would say that dancong typically has less body while an aged TGY would have more. Some people argue that increased body comes at the cost of decreased aroma. This is an aspect of tea that is also relevant to the teaware one uses - like zhuni or porcelain increase aroma at the cost of body, while duan ni might increase body at the cost of aroma. I think this is also an aspect of reduction vs oxidation firing for japanese teapots, I don't remember which is which at the moment.

[mganz42]

Sorry, just remembered, it's aftertaste, not aroma, that opposes body in reduction/oxidation firing. Still can't remember which is which though, I thought I remembered reading it somewhere on Hojo's site but I can't find it.

[chingwa]

I write down the name of the tea and whether I liked it, just as a note to myself about whether I would reorder or not. I used to write down longer reviews, but it got unwieldy, and noone cared but me