A tea tasting is a calm, pretty, all-ages party, and it's perfect for a shower, Mother's Day, a book club or a lazy afternoon. It's also eye-opening: most people have never tasted a green, an oolong and a black tea side by side, and are surprised to learn they all come from the same plant. Here's how to plan one that's genuinely interesting, without needing any special equipment.
One plant, many teas
Black, green, oolong, white and pu-erh are all made from the leaves of one plant, Camellia sinensis. What changes is how the leaves are handled after picking, especially oxidation: the leaves react with air and darken, like a cut apple. Green and white teas are barely oxidized, oolong is partly oxidized and black tea is fully oxidized. Herbal "teas" like chamomile, peppermint and rooibos come from other plants entirely and are naturally caffeine free.
What to buy: build a flight
Pick four teas that each show something different. Three good flights:
- The grocery flight. A plain black tea (Lipton or similar), Earl Grey, a green tea and a caffeine-free herbal. Easy to find and a great introduction.
- The world tour. A strong British black like PG Tips, a chai, a white tea and rooibos.
- The connoisseur flight. Matcha, an oolong such as Iron Goddess (Tie Guan Yin), a first-flush Darjeeling and a ripe pu-erh. Loose leaf, from a tea shop or online.
How much to buy
Plan on one tea bag per cup, or about 1 teaspoon (2 to 3 grams) of loose leaf per 8 ounce cup. That means 100 grams of loose tea makes about 40 cups, and a single box of 20 bags covers a tasting for a big group. For matcha, use about 2 grams (1 teaspoon) per bowl. Tasting pours can be small, 2 to 3 ounces, so one pot of each tea serves six to eight people. Our How Much to Buy for a Tasting Party guide has the general math.
Water temperature and steep times
This is the part that makes or breaks a tea tasting. Boiling water scorches delicate teas and makes them bitter.
- Green: about 175 to 185°F, 2 to 3 minutes.
- White: about 175 to 185°F, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Oolong: about 195 to 205°F, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Black and pu-erh: boiling, 212°F, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Herbal and rooibos: boiling, 212°F, 5 to 7 minutes.
No thermometer? Let boiled water sit for a few minutes before pouring it over green or white tea. Start with fresh, cold water, and set a timer for every pot. You can always steep longer, but you can't un-steep.
How to taste
- Go light to dark. White and green first, then oolong, black and pu-erh. Save chai and smoky or spiced teas for last.
- Look and smell the dry leaf, then the brewed tea. Notice the color in the cup.
- Sip it plain first. Slurp a little to pull in air, and notice the body (thin or rich), the flavor and any dryness on the tongue. That dry, puckery feeling comes from tannins.
- Then add milk, lemon or honey and see what changes. Strong black teas often taste better with milk; green teas usually don't.
- Steep it again. Good oolong, pu-erh and green tea can be re-steeped several times. The second cup often tastes different from the first.
Make it a blind game
Brew each tea into a numbered teapot or pitcher and pour a small cup of each for every guest. Give everyone the list of teas and have them rate each cup and guess which is which. Green versus white and Earl Grey versus plain black are easy wins; oolong is where people get stumped. Our kit calls this game the Steep-Off, and How to Run a Blind Tasting has tips for scoring and the reveal.
What to serve
Set out a tea board with milk, honey, lemon slices, sugar cubes and fresh mint, plus a few classic pairings:
- Scones with jam and cream with black tea or Earl Grey.
- Cucumber sandwiches with green or white tea.
- Shortbread, which lets Earl Grey's bergamot shine.
- Ginger snaps or spice cookies with chai.
- Aged cheddar and apple slices with Darjeeling or a strong black tea.
- Dark chocolate with a roasted oolong or earthy pu-erh.
Kids, caffeine and safety
An 8 ounce cup of black tea has about 47 mg of caffeine and green tea about 28 mg, compared with about 96 mg in coffee. That adds up over a tasting, so give kids herbal and rooibos teas, which are caffeine free, and label every pot "caffeinated" or "caffeine free." Kettles and teapots are hot: keep them at the back of the table and have an adult pour for little kids. If you make iced tea for a crowd, brew it with hot water (not in the sun), keep it chilled and drink it within a day or two.
The kit that runs it for you
Our Tea 101 kit puts this whole afternoon in a printable PDF: 12 real teas in three tiers (from Lipton and Twinings to Ippodo matcha and Rishi oolong), the blind Steep-Off, steep-time and temperature guides, tasting sheets and a flavor wheel, a build-your-own tea board, eight party batches from iced tea for a crowd to chai concentrate and an afternoon tea stand, and 20 tea drinks and treats. Caffeine-free picks are marked for kids.