The Science of Tea Drinking

[umqoqi]

While drinking (expensive) tea I sometimes wonder why I do it and if it is worth it.

Some health benefits are attributed to tea, however the effect sizes are marginally if at all reproducible - and complexly interwoven with thousands of other factors (e.g. caffein is a psychoactive drug that might [or might not] be detrimental to health and thus counteracts the benefits of other components of tea).

Taste is rarely correlated to price at all, the majority of people might not even be able to distinguish (in double blind experiments) between the varieties, and the consistency of taste from one tea cup to another is difficult to guarantee and to anticipate (e.g. different harvests or blending done by manufacturer unbeknownst to the customer).

Rituals are performed (e.g. rinsing the tea leaves, different temperatures or brewing cycles), but optimal outcome is subjective and again the effect sizes of these rituals are usually so small that it does not matter in practice.

I understand that people derive satisfaction from preparing their tea in a certain way, using specific methods or unique teas, and so on. However this is neither intrinsic to tea, nor optimized, nor transferable between individuals.

Is it possible to make the experience of tea consumption repeatable and predictable? Or is tea consumption just an individual experience - and should we refrain from suggestions at all? Do other peoples have similar thoughts than I do?

[Chingwa]

I usually do find a correlation between flavor/quality and price... at least for Japanese greens... on occasion I have shelled out for an expensive tea and been dissapointed, but by and large it is usually worth it for me when I decide to buy more expensive tea.

That being said there is plenty of less expensive tea that I enjoy as well.

[Bok]

I got the solution – move to Asia, you do not have to buy any tea that you did not taste before!
Just kidding, not for everyone…

What I find though is that even though I alway sample the teas I buy, that at my shop of trust the quality is consistent with the price they ask for. I might as well order blindly going by price. The rest are mostly small nuances in flavor that are only apparent when drunk side by side.

As for your initial question, anything we do is highly subjective, our small human brain is a master(–ähemhaha-)mind in manipulating our perceptions. Also, does it matter? Drink what makes you happy and what you can afford. No point looking for the sense of it. Eyeryone needs to make up their own sense of life and purpose, innit?

[Ethan Kurland]

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Taste is rarely correlated to price at all,
....., nor transferable between individuals.

Is it possible to make the experience of tea consumption repeatable and predictable?

Fortunately, there are some vendors whose prices are related to quality. However, the most expensive or the very best teas may not always be what an individual prefers; moreover, small increments in quality often come with large increments in price.

Improving one's preparation of tea is helped by watching others, I believe; though that does not mean we do exactly as we have seen done. Skill is transferable to a degree. As one's practice is reliable, disasters are avoidable. Enjoyment will vary of course. Sometimes a simple salad tastes delicious; sometimes it is almost no pleasure to eat.

For the last 2 years, I have bought much of my teas from the same vendor that Bok likes for most of his teas. Spending time at that shop to sample, watch, & listen has helped me find answers to ?s you have asked and to get comfortable with how I am now as a teadrinker. Bok's comments offer the most important wisdom. If you find a tea or teas that satisfy you, there is not much to concern you, unless you want to explore.

[Brent D]

.

Taste is rarely correlated to price at all,
....., nor transferable between individuals.

Is it possible to make the experience of tea consumption repeatable and predictable?

Fortunately, there are some vendors whose prices are related to quality. However, the most expensive or the very best teas may not always be what an individual prefers; moreover, small increments in quality often come with large increments in price.

Improving one's preparation of tea is helped by watching others, I believe; though that does not mean we do exactly as we have seen done. Skill is transferable to a degree. As one's practice is reliable, disasters are avoidable. Enjoyment will vary of course. Sometimes a simple salad tastes delicious; sometimes it is almost no pleasure to eat.

For the last 2 years, I have bought much of my teas from the same vendor that Bok likes for most of his teas. Spending time at that shop to sample, watch, & listen has helped me find answers to ?s you have asked and to get comfortable with how I am now as a teadrinker. Bok's comments offer the most important wisdom. If you find a tea or teas that satisfy you, there is not much to concern you, unless you want to explore.

And who would that vendor be?

[Bok]

And who would that vendor be?

Local vendor in Taiwan, need to come and see in person I am afraid… or buy from Ethan

[Bok]

Fortunately, there are some vendors whose prices are related to quality. However, the most expensive or the very best teas may not always be what an individual prefers; moreover, small increments in quality often come with large increments in price.

I second that, I have had some very expensive teas recently, the tiny bit better does mostly not make it worthwhile. After a certain quality level the increments in better taste are indeed small…

Sometimes you pay for rarity, or difficulty in making and harvesting it, which does not necessarily make it a better tea! But I understand that the farmer and people involved want to get paid for their troubles.

[umqoqi]

Thank you all for your insightful feedback.

I totally agree that a price for a tea is at the end determined by how much someone is willing to pay.

However in terms of quality there should be be some objective parameters and transparency. For example: Who actually produced the tea? What methods where used and how time consuming were they? Year of harvest? Are pesticides used? Fair wages for harvesters? At least for a Western consumer it is - at least in my experience - very hard to find these things out.

Furthermore I wonder if it is possible to define a standard of how to describe and review tea. For example(!) in a taste review, always use the same brand of bottled water such that the consumer at home can actually reproduce the experience the manufacturer intended.

[Bok]

However in terms of quality there should be be some objective parameters and transparency. For example: Who actually produced the tea? What methods where used and how time consuming were they? Year of harvest? Are pesticides used? Fair wages for harvesters? At least for a Western consumer it is - at least in my experience - very hard to find these things out.

Most shops will not reveal that information simply so you can not approach them directly. Year and more importantly, season of harvest are normally provided by any serious offering. Pesticides, more tricky obviously. In doubt, they are always used, usually they will tell if it is organic as a plus selling factor. So if they do not it is safe to assume pesticides are being used.

Fair wages? Not likely. That is why farmers in Taiwan for example have increasing difficulty to find harvesters, it pays badly, it is very hot, and very hard work in general. Nowadays often immigrants from Vietnam or the aboriginal tribes. The tribes do often the heavy carrying on mountaineous tracks as they are used to those conditions.

Furthermore I wonder if it is possible to define a standard of how to describe and review tea. For example(!) in a taste review, always use the same brand of bottled water such that the consumer at home can actually reproduce the experience the manufacturer intended.

If you are concerned with pesticides and fair wages, it might be a good idea to ditch the bottled water that sticks around for a further good 1000 years and use tap water!
Most manufacturers are simply farmers, they do not intend anything, they just want to make a living selling their tea. Also in the end everyone should enjoy their tea as they like it, not as someone else thinks they should do, no?

[joelbct]

Is it possible to make the experience of tea consumption repeatable and predictable?

When I get a good cup, I like to be able to repeat the results, so I use a scale and timer.

But, repeatable and predictable as in, between seasons/harvests and among different individuals?

The former, some teas seem more consistent, some less so, and with climate change perhaps all bets are off.

The latter, maybe more of a philosophical question. Does my 'blue' look like your 'blue?'

[Psyck]

For standardised methodology of consumption - use competition style brewing (basically a western style steep in a porcelain mug).
For standardised methodology of description - use 'flavour wheel'.

[joelbct]

For standardised methodology of consumption - use competition style brewing (basically a western style steep in a porcelain mug).
For standardised methodology of description - use 'flavour wheel'.

I like Tony Gebely's article and terms: https://worldoftea.org/tea-cupping-standards/