Every useful drinks word, in plain English.

The fresh, tart or mouth-watering quality in a drink. It can make wine, coffee, cider and tea feel brighter and more lively.

Movement of water and grounds or leaves during brewing. In coffee, stirring or pouring can change how quickly flavour compounds are extracted.

A farming system that grows crops alongside trees or other perennial vegetation. In cacao, shade trees can contribute habitat, farm diversity and climate resilience when well managed.

A drying, puckering sensation caused by compounds such as tannins. Common in tea, red wine, cider and some coffee.

A roomy perforated or mesh basket that sits inside a mug or teapot and holds loose tea while it brews. Its larger volume gives leaves more room to expand than many tea balls.

Also: tea basket · brew basket

A highly aromatic citrus fruit whose peel oil or flavour character is the signature note in Earl Grey tea.

Aromatic oil expressed from bergamot peel and commonly used to give Earl Grey its distinctive citrus-floral character.

A taste sensation found in hops, tonic water, coffee, tea, cocoa and some botanicals. In balance it can add structure and refreshment.

Tea made from Camellia sinensis leaves that have been extensively oxidised, producing deeper colour and flavour than green tea.

A drink made by combining different lots, origins, grape varieties, tea components, coffee components, whiskies or other elements to create a chosen final profile.

A broad family of brisk black-tea blends designed for a dependable, full-bodied cup, often with enough structure to take milk.

Also: English Breakfast · Irish Breakfast

Tea leaf that has been intentionally or mechanically reduced into smaller pieces. It usually extracts faster than larger whole-leaf tea.

An espresso-based drink with steamed milk and a noticeable layer of fine milk foam, usually smaller and foamier than a latte.

Tea from Sri Lanka. Styles vary with region and elevation, from bright and brisk to fuller and more aromatic.

A word meaning tea in several South Asian languages. In UK retail use it often refers loosely to spiced tea, though masala chai is the more precise term for a spiced tea preparation.

Also: chai tea

Tea pressed into a compact form such as a cake, brick or nest for storage, transport or ageing. Pu-erh and other dark teas are commonly sold this way.

Also: tea cake · tea brick

Crush, Tear, Curl: a tea-processing method that creates small, uniform particles and typically produces a strong, quick-brewing liquor.

Also: crush tear curl

A cultivated plant variety selected for particular traits. Tea, coffee, grapes and apples all have named cultivars or varieties.

Tea grown in the Darjeeling region of India, often prized for floral, citrus and muscatel-like aromas.

Coffee or tea with most of its caffeine removed. The process can use water, carbon dioxide or approved solvents depending on the method.

Tea flavoured or scented with the distinctive citrus-floral character of bergamot. Black tea is the classic base, but green, white and decaffeinated versions also exist.

Also: Earl Grey tea

The process of dissolving flavour compounds from coffee, tea or other ingredients into water or alcohol.

Small tea particles produced during sorting. They extract quickly and are commonly used in tea bags, but particle size alone is not a universal quality score.

Heating tea leaves to stop or control oxidation and reduce moisture so the tea can be stored.

The first major tea harvest of the season, especially associated with Darjeeling, often giving delicate and highly aromatic teas.

Tea whose aroma or taste has been deliberately supplemented with ingredients such as oils, extracts, fruit, peel, spices or flavourings.

A caffeine-free or low-caffeine infusion built from dried fruit, peel, flowers, herbs or flavourings rather than necessarily from fruit juice.

Also: fruit tea

A Chinese lidded bowl used to steep and pour tea, especially useful for repeated short infusions.

A naturally caffeine-free drink made by steeping or simmering fresh or dried ginger rhizome in water.

Also: ginger tea

A Chinese tea-brewing style using a high leaf-to-water ratio and repeated short infusions, usually in a small pot or gaiwan.

Tea made from Camellia sinensis leaves whose oxidation is stopped early by heat, preserving fresher green and vegetal flavours.

A high-grade Japanese green tea shaded before harvest, often giving pronounced sweetness, savoury umami and a rich texture.

A drink made by steeping plant material other than Camellia sinensis, such as mint leaves, chamomile flowers, ginger or rooibos.

Also: herbal tea · tisane

A brewing method where coffee or tea remains in contact with the full volume of water for most of the extraction.

A perforated or mesh container that holds tea or herbal ingredients in the water while they brew, then lifts out to separate the solids from the drink.

The liquid produced by steeping tea, herbs, fruit, flowers, roots or other ingredients in water; also the act of extracting flavour by steeping.

Tea leaves rolled into small pearls and commonly scented with jasmine before drying. They slowly unfurl during repeated infusions.

Tea, usually green tea, scented by allowing it to absorb the aroma of jasmine flowers.

A fermented tea drink made with a culture of yeast and bacteria, usually lightly acidic and naturally low in alcohol when produced as a soft drink.

An espresso-based drink with a relatively large amount of steamed milk and a thin layer of microfoam.

A description of the physical size or form of processed tea leaf. Grade terms can help describe appearance and brewing behaviour but do not form one universal quality ranking.

The tender young bud at the growing point of a tea shoot. Tips can appear silvery, pale or golden depending on the tea and processing.

Also: tea tip · bud

In tea tasting, the brewed liquid in the cup. In other contexts, liquor can mean distilled alcoholic spirit.

Tea sold as loose dry leaf rather than pre-portioned in a bag or sachet. It gives the brewer direct control over dose, leaf space and repeated infusions.

Also: loose leaf · loose tea

A broad South Asian family of spiced tea preparations, commonly combining strong black tea with spices, milk and sweetener.

Also: spiced chai · spiced tea

Finely ground Japanese green tea made from shade-grown leaves, whisked into water so the leaf itself is consumed.

A stovetop coffee brewer that uses steam pressure to push hot water through coffee grounds, producing a strong concentrated cup.

A tea category made from partially oxidised leaves, spanning styles from light, floral and green to dark, roasted and fruity.

Tea processed through more traditional whole-leaf or large-leaf methods rather than the small-particle CTC process.

Chemical reactions involving oxygen that can change aroma, flavour and colour. It may be a fault or a deliberate part of some styles.

An aromatic mint, Mentha × piperita, used for a cooling, naturally caffeine-free herbal infusion.

Also: peppermint tea

A brewing method where fresh water passes through a bed of coffee or tea rather than all the liquid steeping together.

A broad family of compounds that can contribute bitterness, astringency, colour or aromas such as spice and smoke depending on the drink.

A Chinese tea from Yunnan that undergoes microbial post-fermentation or ageing, either naturally over time or through an accelerated process.

Also: puer · pu erh

A roomy pre-portioned tea sachet designed to give larger leaves or botanicals more internal space than a compact flat tea bag.

Also: pyramid tea bag · whole-leaf sachet

A tea-processing step that twists or bruises leaves, shaping them and helping release compounds that influence oxidation and flavour.

A naturally caffeine-free herbal infusion from South Africa made from Aspalathus linearis rather than the tea plant.

Tea deliberately exposed to aromatic flowers or botanicals so the finished leaves absorb their fragrance. Jasmine tea is the classic example.

A tea-making technique where finished or partly finished tea is exposed to fragrant flowers or botanicals so their aroma transfers into the leaf.

A widely produced Japanese green tea, usually steamed after picking and known for fresh vegetal, grassy and savoury notes.

To soak tea, coffee or other ingredients in liquid so flavour compounds dissolve into it.

A group of compounds that create dryness and grip. They are important in tea, red wine, cider, oak-aged drinks and some coffee.

A pre-portioned porous bag containing tea or herbal ingredients. Traditional flat bags often use smaller particles for rapid extraction.

A small perforated or mesh infuser that holds loose tea during brewing. Compact versions can restrict the expansion of larger leaves.

A deliberate combination of two or more teas, origins or lots to create a chosen flavour, strength or house style.

Very fine tea particles that extract rapidly and are commonly used where a fast, strong brew is wanted. The term describes particle size rather than automatically describing quality.

Also: dust grade

The brewed liquid itself in tea tasting, separate from the dry leaf and infused leaf.

A pre-portioned brewing pouch, often larger than a conventional flat tea bag. Roomy versions can hold whole or larger leaf grades.

Also: sachet

A sieve placed over a cup to catch loose leaves as brewed tea is poured from a pot. Unlike an infuser, it usually separates the leaf after brewing.

Also: tea sieve

The combined influence of place — climate, soil, elevation, exposure and human practice — on an agricultural product and the drink made from it.

An infusion made from herbs, flowers, fruit, roots or spices rather than Camellia sinensis. Examples include chamomile, peppermint and ginger.

Also: herbal tea

The ability to follow an ingredient or product back through the supply chain to its source. In cacao this can support quality control, sourcing claims and environmental or labour due diligence.

A herbal drink made from fresh, dried or powdered turmeric rhizome, usually earthy, warm and golden in colour.

Also: turmeric tea

A wine or other agricultural product identified primarily by a named variety, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or a specific tea cultivar.

Tea made from minimally processed young leaves and buds, usually with gentle withering and drying and relatively little deliberate oxidation.

Tea sold as relatively large or intact leaf pieces rather than broken leaf, fannings or dust. Whole leaf can brew more slowly but is not automatically superior in every style.

A tea-processing stage where freshly picked leaves lose moisture and soften before rolling or further processing.