Tea Cupping Lessons Phoenix AZ

Tea Cupping

Tea cupping is a process of tasting and evaluating the quality of loose leaf tea. It is a combination of art and science that is used by tea lovers throughout the world to maintain tea quality and tea drinking satisfaction.

Even tea from the same shipment, tea garden and processing batch can differ in taste. Tea cupping is an ideal way to ensure quality control and consistent taste.

In addition, for many tea drinkers, the knowledge that a tea supplier properly cups its tea adds to the tea drinking experience.

Tea Cupping Steps - Black Tea Example

The term cupping is used to describe the examination and tasting of different teas to determine quality, taste, aroma, briskness, body and color. Cupping similar teas and comparing them against each other enables one to determine best value when making a purchase.

Professional tasters use similar methods in cupping teas. Consistency is the most important part of cupping. If one begins to develop a certain way of cupping teas, it is important to maintain that method for all teas.

Before the tea is tasted however, a physical inspection of the leaves is performed and attention to the bouquet of the sample is also part of the process. In essence, proper cupping is based on an understanding of the total presentation of the tea leaf.

Appearance and Smell of the Dried Leaf

First, examine the dried leaf. Black tea for example, should be dark (blackish-brown) and well twisted, which indicates good withering.

An open, flat leaf infuses quickly; a closely twisted leaf takes longer to infuse and will give a better second cup. In general, the leaf should be small, hard, well rolled, and uniform in appearance.

The dry leaves can be squeezed to test the resilience of the leaf, which is an indication of young tea. This method of judging the quality of tea is only used for black teas. The appearance and smell of the dried leaf are not determining factors of quality in green and oolong teas.

Following the preliminary tea cupping steps, the tea is ready for the tasting part of the process. Generally speaking, the same care involved with the examination of the unsteeped tea leaves must be maintained during the steeping process.

Pure Water is Required

Purified, oxygenated water is best when preparing tea for tasting. Use water that has all minerals and other contaminants removed and oxygen added to ensure a fresh clean taste.

Remove contaminants because even fresh, clean water contains minerals that affect the taste of tea. Fill a kettle with water and bring to a boil.

Use the Proper Amount of Tea

Tea is measured per cup by weight not volume. Depending on the size of the tea and the extent of processing, teas of equal weight may vary in volume. To prepare for tea cupping, pour two grams into a six to eight ounce cup and pour the fresh boiling water directly onto the leaves.

Observe Steeping Time Limits - Don't Over Steep

The steeping process, which releases the flavor fr...