A note of pepper...
I taste a lot of teas and participate in lots of comparative tastings. In my experience I will occasionally come across an unscented, unflavored tea that has a note of black pepper. I usually taste with 2 other people one of which always detects the profile and one who never does.
Has anyone else ever come across this or know what could cause it. I know it isn’t water quality, dirty equipment, human error. I’ve tried to google it but have had no luck finding answers.
I’ve tasted it with Chinese green, and Indian black teas.
I’d definitely say that’s actually a fairly common descriptor for Chinese green tea. Not so sure about it for Indian Black teas, though.
I have not gotten it with Chinese greens, but I have gotten it with Chinese blacks, specifically Dianhong, it is one of my favorite notes.
Also sometimes in first flush Darjeeling (Gopaldhara Estate and Jungpana Estate’s Yellow tea have had the strongest notes) but it is more like the peppery note of nasturtium leaves. I love it because it does not really have the heat of pepper but the distinct taste.
Not sure if it is caused by anything other than the terroir and a specific person’s taste profile. For instance when I tasted the two Darjeelings my mom tasted the peppery notes, but her roommate did not. My boyfriend tastes it in the Dianhong but not in the Darjeeling, it is really cool!
Haven’t gotten it for green teas myself (but I also don’t drink them as often as blacks), though I do get it for Chinese blacks. In Yunnan-grown blacks mostly; Dianhong (as Amanda said) specifically.
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