Naming of teas has on a regular basis been problematic, significantly when there are so many completely totally different strategies of doing it for such an unlimited number of varieties throughout the lots of of tea areas and subregions.
Inside the naming of wine, you see each the world title or the vine choice title, or every collectively. Basing on that one can have a great suggestion what kind of wine you is likely to be getting. The title of the vineyard is the final word seal of top of the range assurance. Some vineyards develop to be so well-known with certain wine that their names develop to be the title of the wines. In some other case, there are often not a great deal of irregularities throughout the naming of wine.
This systematic technique makes it easy for the market to know the product and what to anticipate behind the label of a status.
In tea, this simplicity would not exist
As far as everyone knows, there are these normal strategies in how the title of a tea might be formed:
- Cultivar title
A tea might be named after its cultivar, paying homage to Aijiao Wulong, Huangzhi Xiang, Rougui ( Cassia ), and lots of others - Affiliation of look
Some names have been created basing on an associated image of the type of the processed tea leaf, paying homage to Baimudan ( White Peony ), Biluochun ( Spring Snails ), Golden Dragon, and lots of others - Description of pluck type
Equally, a tea title would be the description of the seems of the pluck, paying homage to Guapian ( which means Melon Seed, describing the type of the inexperienced leaves ), Maofeng ( which means downy apex, referring to the down-covered leaf shoot ), Zixun ( which means Purple Shoot ), and lots of others - Modified product kind
The seems of a product might be modified pretty dramatically from the leaf kind. The title of the modified kind is used usually as a product title. Matcha, Brick tea, Tuocha, and lots of others are examples. - Manufacturing course of
The manufacturing course of or tea subcategoric title may also be the title of a tea, paying homage to Sencha ( Steamed tea ), Gongfu Black Tea ( beforehand translated as Congou and presently misused in almost all Western producers ), White Tea and lots of others - Manufacturing state of affairs
A specific manufacturing state of affairs related to the final word top quality of a product is used throughout the title for a certain standing for some teas. Examples embody Kabuse-cha ( Shaded improvement tea ), Dancong ( Single Bush harvest ), Yancha ( tea from the cliffs ), and lots of others - Space title
Space names are used too, paying homage to Pu’er, Dongding, Darjeeling, and lots of others - Grading title
Grading names, restricted as they’re, have a sturdy presence on the market, paying homage to Orange Pekoe, Imperial Golden Tip, Gunpowder, and lots of others. In b2b communications, grade jargons are vital, considerably for mass market merchandise, along with such labels as STGFOP, Zhu 1, 401 and lots of others. - Historic previous/ Legend
Names associated to a tea’s historic previous, be it an actual story or a fable, are pretty normal: paying homage to Earl Grey, Monkey Determine, Da Hongpao ( Large Purple Cloak ) and lots of others - Promoting title
Purely promoting and advertising names, from the outdated days to the merely invented. Examples are Gyokuro ( Sweet Dew ), Oriental Magnificence, English Breakfast, and lots of others - Added fashion/ aroma
When fashion or aroma is added to a tea, its title will even be modified to reflect that. Examples embody Jasmine Pearls, Milk Oolong, Chrysanthemum Pu’er and lots of others - Combination title
Any of the above might be blended to kind a final title. When the world title is used, you see such names as Huangshan Maofeng, Xihu Longjing, Keemun Snails and lots of others. When a producing state of affairs is used as a qualifier, you see Darjeeling First Flush, Hand-roasted Biluochun, Yancha Shuixian and lots of others
The Prime quality behind a Establish
It is vitally vital observe that whereas some merchandise are appropriately named, a giant proportion of merchandise are solely remotely licensed for the title. We have seen that state of affairs in lots of aged kind teashops, internet distributors, and even huge mannequin names.
Prime quality irregularity is prevalent for lots of causes. The massively diversified manufacturing processing is one. The terribly polarised concept of tea as a product is one different. I am unable to go on to distract the principle focus of this textual content, nevertheless will level out two key market conditions related to the label of a tea.
What’s a excessive premium grade in a single mannequin presumably equal to an odd top quality in a single different.
Principally there’s no authorized tips or tips to manage how a retail service supplier grade a product. I am anxious that I see this harmful observe spilling off even to b2b shopping for and promoting. The one reply to that’s comparative procuring.
Prestigious space names are typically borrowed to label a product, regardless that in fact, productions authentically from a great space is not any guarantee of top of the range.
It’s a story that I like to tell of us frequently:
A giant beforehand nationwide owned enterprise bought the hill which the 4 genuine shuixian tea bushes named as Da Hongpao are. You’d assume that they could have top-of-the-line of the tea. That they’d the rightful origin declare, selling at an extreme value and however for top of the range barely above restaurant grade.
In distinction, there are solely a couple of households producing real Shiguping Wulong in Liaoxiya, a small hill village in tiny space of the tea’s equivalent title. Local weather permitting, their productions have certainly not failed. They produce only one harvest yearly to ensure that top quality.
Such is an extreme comparability when real origin is fearful. I’ve many, many further tales to tell.
All in all, it is a sharp learning curve to know the label of a tea. Above that, the usual a consumer will get from the label is simply almost nearly as good as the vendor’s skills and conscience in delivering the optimum top quality for that label.
Let’s do a quiz
Nevertheless, learning the correct top quality for the correct label is an important step in tea appreciation. Sooner than you proceed researching on this site or another knowledge sources the which means of a particular label, Let’s do some quiz beneath. See when you possibly can inform which of the above methods are used throughout the seven normal tea names on this quiz » GO TO QUIZ (Thanks for the enthusiastic response, this quiz has ended.)
( Prize for people who can do all the names )