Hey tea folks. Was interested on getting some thoughts and context on people's experiences of minerality in tea. I think it is one of the more interesting characteristics used to describe tea. And particularly from my westerner perspective because it is not really something that comes up in the food or drink world, at least in the US. I work in the food world/sector and the concept of minerality barely exists. I mean maybe in high end fine dining, but that's not my sphere.
Open to all perspectives,, but particularly interested in westerner perspective here because I tend to think that minerality in food/drink has a negative connotation here, and yet it is a highly prized/elusive characteristic in say yancha. But perhaps non westerners can explain or better enlighten.
For what its worth, I've never experienced minerality in tea, at least not something I'd put in the positive column. Ive had a fair number of yancha, though nothing super high end. Perhaps I've never had a tea that has presented that characteristic, or maybe i don't know what i am looking for or that i am experiencing it.
So what's your experience of minerality? How would you describe it? Why is it important to you in certain types of tea?
Minerality in tea
I think this topic comes up every now and then, with no consensus on what 'minerality' should mean, or where it comes from (except that it probably has nothing to do with minerals in the soil):
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It's probably something that will have different meanings to different people. For me, it's not just a flavour, but rather a combination of flavours and textures that gives off a certain overall character that gives a tea a backbone and makes you feel like you are drinking more than just tea-flavoured water, or thick tea-flavoured water, or astringent or bitter tea-flavoured water.
Minerality does get mentioned in wine, especially in white wine from certain regions which are 'supposed' to have it (eg, German and Alsatian riesling, Chablis, Burgundy, etc). Maybe it does not get mentioned as much in new world regions because there isn't the same expectation that it'll be there.
So, for me, it might describe the difference between a yancha from the core region and the same variety of yancha from outside - the latter might taste pleasantly fruity, rich, roasty, etc, whereas the former often (not always) feels like it has a greater backbone, structure, tension and character for which 'mineral' somehow feels like a useful shorthand description. The word tends to evoke a concept in my mind - it might not do the same for others.
Or, perhaps an Australian riesling might taste fruity with a sharp acidity running through it, whereas a German riesling at the same level of sweetness and acidity often (not always) feels like it has something else running through it.
But then I'm pretty sure other people have very different views on what it means to them. I think it'll always be a difficult concept to describe, because I can say that a tea tastes like peaches and you can try to understand what I mean by eating a peach, but nobody eats a plate of rocks or licks some chunks of minerals. It's a useful description for me, but it might be meaningless or misleading for lots of other people.
Andrew
viewtopic.php?p=35040#p35040
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2195&start=15
It's probably something that will have different meanings to different people. For me, it's not just a flavour, but rather a combination of flavours and textures that gives off a certain overall character that gives a tea a backbone and makes you feel like you are drinking more than just tea-flavoured water, or thick tea-flavoured water, or astringent or bitter tea-flavoured water.
Minerality does get mentioned in wine, especially in white wine from certain regions which are 'supposed' to have it (eg, German and Alsatian riesling, Chablis, Burgundy, etc). Maybe it does not get mentioned as much in new world regions because there isn't the same expectation that it'll be there.
So, for me, it might describe the difference between a yancha from the core region and the same variety of yancha from outside - the latter might taste pleasantly fruity, rich, roasty, etc, whereas the former often (not always) feels like it has a greater backbone, structure, tension and character for which 'mineral' somehow feels like a useful shorthand description. The word tends to evoke a concept in my mind - it might not do the same for others.
Or, perhaps an Australian riesling might taste fruity with a sharp acidity running through it, whereas a German riesling at the same level of sweetness and acidity often (not always) feels like it has something else running through it.
But then I'm pretty sure other people have very different views on what it means to them. I think it'll always be a difficult concept to describe, because I can say that a tea tastes like peaches and you can try to understand what I mean by eating a peach, but nobody eats a plate of rocks or licks some chunks of minerals. It's a useful description for me, but it might be meaningless or misleading for lots of other people.
Andrew
I think Andrew gave a much better explanation than I can, but I equate minerality with a rocky, somewhat metallic taste. I've experienced it in a few yanchas and in the later steeps of some lapsangs and dancongs. It's sometimes hard to tell if a tea is mineral or just has a lot of tannins, though I associate tannins with astringency. Teas that are supposed to have mineral notes are often also roasted and/or tannic, which makes it hard to isolate this flavour.
Maybe someone who has a better grasp of this concept can point us to some mineral-heavy teas we can purchase.
Maybe someone who has a better grasp of this concept can point us to some mineral-heavy teas we can purchase.
Minerality is highly sought after in wines especially burgundy chardonnay and german rieslings. I know scientific studies in wine indicate that theres little evidence to suggest higher concentration of minerals in soil would necessarily lead to higher concentration of biochemical compounds in the plant. However, theres all kinds of plausible explanations as to why old vines and older trees tend to produce sweeter, more elegant wines/teas. Its more likely that a longer, slower growth of such plants combined with the appropriate diurnal/temp changes n sunlight would lead to the grape/leaf having and storing up more nutrients which translate to the sensation of minerals. Hence we say minerality as a short-hand for percept of minerality. In wines/teas with prominent fragrance and flavor, these can cover over the perception of minerality. Roasting does amplify the mineral sensation, while the shaping and oxidation process brings out the fragrance and flavor. In puerh the mineral sensation can be more pronounced as its not processed as heavily as in oolongs. But oolongs can be minerally too, underneath the fragrance and flavor. Mineral rich teas tend to leave a longer aftertaste. Many would not perceive red wine as being more minerally than the neutral white grape varietals that are more transparent, but actually they can be even more minerally.
Like a good chardonnay that takes its character from the particular soil, laocong shuixian and gushu puerh will also reflect and express the terroir that they are grown in. The mineral sensation is highly dependent on good micro-climate, and every good terroir will have its own character. Like what Andrew said, its a combination of all factors that give rise to the deep umami-like sensation. I think the Chinese have a better, but harder to define term for minerality, and i believe its called Yun.
Like a good chardonnay that takes its character from the particular soil, laocong shuixian and gushu puerh will also reflect and express the terroir that they are grown in. The mineral sensation is highly dependent on good micro-climate, and every good terroir will have its own character. Like what Andrew said, its a combination of all factors that give rise to the deep umami-like sensation. I think the Chinese have a better, but harder to define term for minerality, and i believe its called Yun.
I have experienced what I would call mineral reality in some yanchas, and I would agree that it is a shorthand term for something that seems as though I'm drinking water with extra minerals in it--not just calcium and magnesium salt, but also a hint of iron. It always makes me think of what water *ought* to taste like bubbling up from a spring in a granite rock formation.
It's very pleasant when I find it, enhancing my enjoyment of the tea, but it is not something that I seek out to the exclusion of other wonderful teas that do not have it.
It's very pleasant when I find it, enhancing my enjoyment of the tea, but it is not something that I seek out to the exclusion of other wonderful teas that do not have it.