Blind Tea Tasting Set #7

This set is a particular challenge for those who want to train their palate: in one of our 'spot the black sheep'-style setups, three of these teas have something in common, where the fourth differs. But rather than trying to identify the odd characteristic out, your task here is to guess what ties the other three teas together. It may be quite difficult, as they may otherwise differ in almost every other aspect, but the clue is in the taste and aroma…

The samples arrive in pouches numbered from #1 to #4. Along with the samples, you will receive a link to a page that will reveal the name and nature of the teas, to be viewed after the tasting.

Some questions to ask oneself while tasting Set #7 are:

• Smell the leaves in the pouch before looking at them. Can you guess the tea category? Can you narrow it further down? Do any different scents already suggest an outlier?
• Looking at the leaves, what does their appearance suggest about the style of their processing?
• Tasting and smelling the teas, which notes are shared amongst all teas, and which are unique? How would you describe those notes?
• Focusing first on identifying the similar flavors and aromas, once you're somewhat confident about the odd one out, consider what factor(s) might produce the similarity?
  
• If you can, try to guess the type and origin for each of them.
• If nothing stands out, try brewing them differently—quicker or for longer, or changing the water temperature—or even letting the hot tea cool to get a different perspective. Don't forget to sniff the wet leaves!

For an extra challenge, have someone else prepare the infusions or prepare them without looking at the leaves. Try to answer the relevant questions above. (See our video Find the Black Sheep for techniques for doing blind tastings by yourself.)