Black Tea Character Wheel and Pictorial Charts define Tea Characteristics

Abstract

The characteristics of black tea consist of three components; aroma, taste and liquor color. However, since perception and expression of these characteristics, particularly aroma and taste, varies according to the individual, describing them in a way that is comprehensible to a majority of people can be problematic. Thus a glossary of specific terms is required which can be used to accurately assess these characteristics in the development and quality control of tea products, and to clearly convey the complex and subtle qualities of black tea to consumers in Japan. Our character wheel for black tea was created as a means of bringing more people to a common understanding of the widely varied black tea characteristics of aroma, taste and color. On the basis of sensory evaluations using the character wheel we compiled pictorial charts visually depicting the characteristics of various types of black teas.