Liquor

Definition

In tea trade and tasting, liquor means the infusion: the liquid you pour off the leaf. It has nothing to do with alcohol. A professional tasting looks at three things side by side, the dry leaf, the liquor, and the infused leaf, and the liquor is where flavor, color and body are judged. Tasters describe liquor by color (pale green, gold, amber, coppery, deep red), clarity (bright or dull), and strength. Black tea liquor is assessed for briskness, the lively astringent bite, and for how it takes milk. Green tea liquor should be clear and bright; cloudiness can come from fine leaf particles, which is normal in fukamushi sencha, or from age and poor storage in other teas. Liquor color follows processing. Unoxidized green and white teas give pale yellow-green to light gold liquor. Oolongs range from gold to orange depending on oxidation and roast. Fully oxidized black teas give red-brown liquor because theaflavins and thearubigins form during oxidation. Shou pu'er gives an almost opaque dark red-brown after pile fermentation.