Even the appearance of tea can to some extent judge its quality. This indicator is taken into account by tea-testers along with the taste, aroma and color of the boiled leaf.

If the organoleptic properties of tea correspond to a certain level of quality (grade), the study of physical and chemical parameters is not necessary. However, in case of disagreements with the supplier in assessing the quality (grade), and ultimately the price, such studies should be carried out.

When conducting an organoleptic analysis, a weighing of 100 g is taken from an average tea sample and poured out in a thin layer on a sheet of white paper.

The appearance (cleaning) of dry tea is determined by examining it in diffused daylight or bright artificial light.

When determining appearance dry tea pay attention to the color, evenness, uniformity and twisting of the tea leaves. For example, when analyzing loose leaf tea, attention should be paid to the content of golden wood hairs, untwisted leaf blades and other inclusions.

The presence of gold and silver tips indicates that the tea is made from delicate high-quality raw materials. When properly processed, the unopened buds of the tea plant turn a light golden color during the drying process.

The presence of petioles (red stems) or wood fibers in tea indicates that the tea is made from coarse raw materials and is poorly sorted. The more petioles or wood fibers, the lower the quality.

The admixture of foreign impurities is not allowed in tea: products clogged with foreign impurities are considered defective.

Preparation and evaluation of tea infusion. Infusion, aroma, taste and color of the boiled leaf is determined after brewing tea. To do this, a weighed portion of tea 3 g is weighed on a technical scale and poured into a porcelain teatester teapot, poured 125 ml of freshly boiling water.

The teapot is quickly closed with a lid, and the infusion is kept for 5 minutes for black tea and 7 minutes for green tea.

After the expiration of the brewing period, the infusion is poured into a special teatester white porcelain cup.

When pouring the infusion into a cup, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the infusion of the teapot is completely poured out. To do this, the teapot is shaken several times so that the last, thickest drops of the infusion completely drain.

In the infusion of tea, its characteristics and taste are determined, and in the tea remaining after draining from the teapot, the aroma and color of the boiled leaf are determined.

When characterizing the infusion, attention is paid to its transparency, intensity and color. The infusion of tea should be transparent, in the lower grades turbidity is allowed. The more intensely the infusion is colored, the higher the tea is valued.

For example, black tea infusion is assessed depending on its intensity: above-average, medium, weak. Usually tea of ​​the highest grades has an above-average infusion. Larger leaf teas of the highest and 1st grades are characterized by a medium infusion. And lower grades - weak infusion.

The best is considered a transparent, bright color of the infusion. The brown, dark, cloudy color of the infusion is considered a fault and indicates a violation technological process.

Fine tea has a more intense infusion compared to loose leaf tea.

Granular teas have a particularly intense infusion, as well as small ones, but they have a weaker aroma and therefore are not of high quality.

Determination of the aroma and taste of tea. The determination of the aroma and taste of tea is not started immediately after pouring out the infusion, but after 1-1.5 minutes. During this time, the boiled leaf in the teapot will cool slightly, which contributes to a better capture of the aroma. When hot, it is impossible to catch the actual aroma of tea. But one should also not hesitate to taste tea for more than 1.5 minutes. The longer the tea cools in the teapot, the harder it is to establish its aroma.

To determine the aroma of tea, quickly open the lid of the teapot, bring it to the nose and take a breath.

The tea may have a full bouquet, a delicate, light, pleasant or a weak, coarse aroma, depending on the variety. In tea-testing practice, special terminology has been adopted to determine the aroma of high-quality tea: rose, almond, honey, citrus, flower, a mixture of strawberry, geranium, blackcurrant, etc.

When testing tea for aroma, shortcomings that arise in tea as a result of violations of the technological process and storage are easily detected: hotness, smell of greenery, mustiness, smoky, moldy and other odors uncharacteristic of tea.

To determine the taste, tea is drunk in small sips and the first taste sensations are recorded. The taste of the tea may be astringent, not sufficiently astringent, or coarse, depending on the commercial variety.

The infusion of tea, which has a full taste with astringency, is called a strong infusion. The astringency and fullness of the taste of the infusion are signs of high extractiveness of teas, their high P-vitamin activity. Tea, which is devoid of strength and fullness of taste, is considered "watery", empty. This can be caused by weak curl or a long fermentation process.

The astringency of tea depends on the amount of soluble substances in the tea leaf, i.e. on the number and degree of crushing of tea leaf cells. A tea that is not astringent enough is called a lifeless infusion tea. The reasons for this phenomenon may be the absorption of excess moisture by tea, high temperature and tea brewing during drying.

Determination of the color of the boiled sheet. The boiled leaf is laid out on the lid of the teapot and its color is determined.

The color of the boiled leaf is directly dependent on the intensity of the infusion, the aroma and taste of the tea.

When determining the color of a boiled leaf, attention is paid to its uniformity: the lower the grade of tea, the less uniform the color. It can be light brown to dark brown for black tea and greenish yellow to deep yellow for green tea.

For example, the dark color of the boiled leaf of black long leaf tea is usually observed with excessive fermentation or excessive withering of the tea leaf; with insufficient fermentation, the green color remains. In both cases, tea gets a low score. High-quality black long leaf tea has a boiled leaf of bright copper color.

When processing inhomogeneous material, the color of the boiled sheet is variegated.

The organoleptic properties of tea are determined by specialists in the field of tasting evaluation - teatesters, using a 10-point scale (Table 1). On this scale, the lowest-grade teas are rated at 1.5 points, and the highest-quality ones are 5.5 points and higher. A tea rating of 9-10 points is still considered unattainable.

The highest quality teas, called Unique (Unicum), and for example the best varieties Indian tea Darjeeling or Ceylon Nur-Eli are very rarely rated at 8 points for their unique flavor properties. The assessment of ordinary higher grades of factory tea is much lower than 5.25-6.25 points.

Physical and chemical indicators. Determination of net weight of tea, mass fraction of moisture, mass fraction of fines, mass fraction of metal-magnetic impurities is given in accordance with GOST 1936-85 "Rules of acceptance and methods of analysis".

For example, the moisture content of all commercially packaged loose leaf teas should not exceed 8%. The content of fines in packaged black and green long leaf teas should not exceed 1% in the "Bouquet" variety and 5% - in other varieties.

The determination of water-soluble extractive substances is carried out in accordance with GOST 28551-90 “Tea. Method for determination of water-soluble extractive substances”. The content of extractive substances in black packaged long leaf tea should not be less than 28% in the 3rd grade and 35% - in the "Bouquet" grade, respectively, in green long leaf tea - not less than 30% in the 3rd grade and 35% - in the grade "Bouquet" and higher.

The determination of total, water-insoluble and water-soluble ash is carried out in accordance with GOST 28552-90 “Tea. Method for determination of total, water-insoluble and water-soluble ash”. The definition of crude fiber is given in accordance with GOST 28553-90 “Tea. Method for determining crude fiber "

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Laboratory work.
Studying the assortment and examination of the quality of tea.
Objective : to conduct an examination of the quality of tea in terms of organoleptic and physico-chemical indicators, to establish defects in tea.
Work tasks :

Familiarize yourself with the factory and trade varieties of black and green long leaf tea.
Conduct an expert assessment of the quality of tea in terms of organoleptic indicators.
Determine the main physical and chemical indicators of tea: moisture content, content of extractives, content of tannin (tannins).
Based on the expert assessment of the quality, determine the grade of tea according to the current standards.

Studying the assortment of tea.

Study the assortment of tea according to natural samples and fill in table 1.
Table 1.

The study of packaging and labeling of tea.

Examine the condition of the container, the correct labeling and the net weight of the tea sample. Record the results in table 2.
table 2

Organoleptic evaluation of tea quality.

Organoleptically in tea, the appearance (cleaning), color intensity, transparency (purity) of the infusion, its taste, aroma and color of the boiled leaf (brewing) are determined. They are the most important in determining the commercial grade of tea. Based on their analysis, one can judge the origin of tea, the quality of raw materials, and the observance of production and storage technology.
Therefore, organoleptic studies of tea are still decisive in assessing its quality. The organoleptic properties of tea are determined by experts in the field of tasting evaluation - tea testers.
3.1 Appearance (cleaning tea).
A 100 g sample is taken from an average weight of long leaf tea and poured onto a sheet of white paper. When evaluating this indicator in long leaf tea, the color, evenness, uniformity, size and twist of tea leaves, the presence of dust and fines, wood hairs, coarsened red petioles, the presence of untwisted leaf blades and the presence of golden tips (in black long leaf tea) are determined.
The analysis of this indicator gives an idea of ​​what raw materials the products are made from, whether the technological regimes are observed, especially in the processes of twisting and sorting tea.
The presence of golden tips indicates the high quality of tea. The gray color of the tips is the result of excessive friction when twisting the sheet. The black color indicates excessive drying of the tea.
The presence of petioles (red stems) or wood hairs in tea indicates that the tea is made from coarse raw materials and is poorly sorted.
In tile and green brick tea, check the integrity and strength of the tile, the condition of the corners and edges, the smoothness of the surfaces, the clarity of the screen print on the surface of the green brick tea (according to GOST 1936-85).
3.2. Preparation of tea infusion and determination of its quality.
3 g of tea is taken from the sample taken and placed in a special porcelain teapot, poured with boiling water in the amount of 125 ml, closed with a lid. After 7-8 minutes (for green tea) and after 5 minutes (for other types of tea), the infusion from the teapot is poured into a special porcelain cup, the teapot is shaken several times to completely drain the thickest drops of the infusion.
Analysis of the infusion is carried out 1-1.5 minutes after pouring it into the cup. The color intensity, shade and transparency (purity) of the infusion is determined visually. The aroma is determined visually in the pairs of unbrewed tea. To do this, quickly open the lid from the kettle, bring it to the nose and, drawing in air strongly, evaluate the smell. At the same time, extraneous odors and defects not characteristic of tea are detected. Then the taste of tea is determined, noting its fullness, degree of expression, astringency, as well as extraneous flavors that are not characteristic of tea.
The aroma of tea should be delicate, subtle, floral, honey, rose and other, quite pronounced.
The color of tea infusion is weak, medium, intense. The infusion is transparent or not transparent enough.
The color of the infusion of black long leaf tea is copper-red shades, green is light green or yellow.
The taste of tea is determined simultaneously with the aroma of the infusion by tasting it. A good quality tea should have a full taste with astringency. To determine the taste, they drink a little tea from a cup and, without swallowing, roll it in the mouth, evaluating the taste sensations. The infusion of tea, obtained by proper fermentation, drying and storage of tea, is characterized as "vital" or "live".
Tea that lacks flavor is said to be "empty" or "watery".
Pressed teas do not give a bright infusion due to the large amount of suspended particles in them. Brown, dark, cloudy color is considered a disadvantage and indicates a violation of the technological regime.
3.3. Broken leaf color.
After laying the boiled leaf (unwelded) on the lid of the teapot, its color is determined. The boiled leaf is squeezed out with two fingers, and the color of the leaves and the uniformity of their color are determined. It should be a good black tea with an even, brownish-red color, while green tea should have a uniform greenish color. When determining the color of a boiled leaf, attention is paid to its uniformity: the lower the grade of tea, the less uniform the color.
Organoleptic and physico-chemical indicators of the quality of black and green long leaf tea are shown in tables 3 and 4.
Table 3
Organoleptic evaluation and physico-chemical parameters of long leaf black tea (GOST 1938-90 and GOST 1938-78)

Name of indicator	Characteristics of varieties
	Bouquet	Higher		The first		Second		Third
Aroma and taste	Full bouquet, pleasant, strong tart taste	Delicate aroma, pleasant with astringency of taste		Quite delicate aroma, medium astringency taste		Insufficient aroma, tart taste		Weak aroma, weak taste
Infusion	Bright, transparent, intense, above-average	Bright transparent, "medium"		Not bright enough, transparent, "medium"		Transparent, "lower average"		Insufficiently transparent, "weak"
Broken leaf color	Homogeneous brown-red color			Not uniform enough, brown		Insufficient, dark brown, greenish tint allowed
	Smooth, uniform, well twisted			Insufficiently even, twisted with the presence of lamellar		uneven, lamellar
	-
	35		35	32	30		28
	11		9	8,5	8		8
	2,8		2,6	2,3	2,1		1,8
	8		8	8	8		8

Table 4
Organoleptic evaluation and physico-chemical parameters of green tea (GOST 1939-90 and GOST 1938-78)

Name of indicator	Characteristics of varieties
	Bouquet	Higher	The first	Second	Third
Aroma and taste	Full bouquet, delicate, delicate aroma, pleasant taste with astringency	Delicate aroma, pleasant with astringency of taste	Pleasant aroma, rather tart taste	Weak aroma, insufficiently tart taste	Rough aroma, slightly perceptible tart taste
Infusion	Transparent, light green with a yellowish tinge		Transparent, light yellow	Yellow with a reddish tint, not pronounced enough	Dark yellow, with a reddish tint, cloudy
Broken leaf color	Homogeneous with a greenish tint		Insufficiently uniform, with a yellowish tinge	Inhomogeneous, with a yellowish tint	Irregular, dark yellow
Appearance (cleaning) of loose leaf tea	Smooth, uniform, well twisted	Smooth, twisted, with the presence of plates	Not flat enough, twisted or lamellar	uneven, lamellar
Appearance (cleaning) of granulated tea	-		Fairly flat, spherical or oblong
Mass fraction of soluble extractives, % not less than	35	35	33	31	30
Mass fraction of tannin, % not less than	17	15	13	12	12
Mass fraction of caffeine, % not less than	2,8	2,7	2,6	2,2	1,8
Mass fraction of moisture, % not less than	8	8	8	8	8

Enter the results of the organoleptic assessment of the quality of tea in Table 5.
Table 5

Physico-chemical assessment of the quality of tea.

Determination of tannin content in tea (GOST 19885-74)
The method is based on the ability of tannin to be oxidized by potassium permanganate with the participation of indigo carmine as an indicator.
A pre-ground portion of tea 2.5 g is placed in a volumetric flask with a capacity of 250 cm 3, pour 200 cm 3 of hot water and put on boiling water bath. Extraction of tannin is carried out for 40-45 minutes.
Then the flask with the extract is cooled, made up to the mark with distilled water, mixed and filtered. 10 cm 3 of the filtrate are taken with a pipette and transferred to a measuring glass with a capacity of 1 dm 3, where 750 cm 3 of cold tap water and 25 cm 3 of indigo carmine solution are first added, mixed and titrated with 0.1 mol / dm 3 potassium permanganate solution. The blue color of the solution during titration and constant stirring turns into golden yellow.
The amount of tannin (%) is determined by the formula:

where a is the amount of a 0.1 mol / dm 3 solution of potassium permanganate used for titration, cm 3;

and 1 - the amount of 0.1 mol / dm 3 solution of potassium permanganate used for titration of water and indigo carmine, cm 3;

0.004157 - the amount of tannin oxidized by 1 cm 3 0.1 mol / dm 3 potassium permanganate solution;

V is the amount of tea extract obtained, cm3;
V 1 - the amount of tea extract taken for testing, cm
m is the mass of a sample of absolutely dry tea, g.
Calculated according to the formula in %:

where n is a sample of tea, g;

В – tea humidity, %

Identification of defects in tea.

In case of violation of the production process and during storage, various defects are formed, including:

weediness(petioles, coarse leaf, fibers and other impurities) occurs as a result of the collection of coarse tea leaf bushes, including during machine harvesting and insufficient cleaning during sorting.
mixed tea obtained as a result of poor sorting or poor matching for uniformity in blending;
sour taste and smell arise due to a violation of the process and the duration of fermentation and drying;
etc.................

Currently for tea quality ratings Increasingly, various objective methods (chemical, physical, biochemical) are used, which are carried out at the end of each production process on the basis of the characteristic physico-chemical changes inherent in this stage of tea leaf processing. Biochemical analysis allows you to establish the composition of tea. More acceptable in this regard are such physical and chemical methods of tea analysis as the refractometric method for the quantitative determination of extractive substances, the spectrophotometric method for determining caffeine in tea, and others, which allow using instruments to determine substances and their properties in tea infusion. However, according to their results, it is impossible to assess the quality of tea as a whole.

The researchers tried to establish a relationship between the quality of tea and its chemical composition. Some scientists believed that the main substance that determines the quality of tea is caffeine, others preferred its phenolic compounds, believing that the more of them contained in tea, the better its quality. But practice has shown that one cannot accurately determine the quality of tea by determining the quantitative composition of tea chemicals. finished products.

A prime example of this is Indian teas. If we compare Assam tea with Darjeeling, then although Assam tea contains much more tannin, it is inferior to Darjeeling in quality: Assam is more tart, but less aromatic, and Darjeeling has a rather tart taste and is different delicate aroma. In this regard, we present a witty comparison of Ribero-Gayon's assessment of the importance of the chemical method. He says that modern methods of chemical analysis are very similar to those that would try to determine the structure of the house, destroying it, separating different materials and weighing them: this would make it possible to discover what the house was built of, but would not give any idea of ​​​​the plan of its construction, the location of the various parts and their sizes, about the method of assembling materials into a single whole. Meanwhile, the importance of objective methods for evaluating tea is undoubtedly important, since physical chemistry makes it possible to judge the relationship between the various components of tea, their proportions, and certain properties of it are determined with the help of special methods.

However, the oldest and at the same time the simplest, fastest and most reliable method for determining the quality of tea is tasting - tea-testing of the received batches of tea. Tasting is a method of assessing the quality of a food product, which is carried out with the help of the senses without the use of special apparatus or chemical analyzes. Unlike biochemical control, which can be carried out at different stages of tea production and requires complex technical equipment, this method evaluates the finished product at the stage of a semi-finished or finished product, does not require complex technical means and a large staff of workers.

Tasting is the most reliable method for accurately determining the quality of tea. Despite the subjectivity of the method, it is of great importance for the rapid recognition of the quality of tea, since some properties of tea (shades of smells, smokiness, the presence of different flavors, and others) cannot be characterized without tea-testing. In addition, there are elements of objectivity in this method, since otherwise the assessments of the quality of tea made by different people would not coincide as it is observed in reality.

The tasting is done by a teatester (the English word teatester can be translated as "tasting tea") - a professional tea taster. The terms of reference of the teatesters are determined by the evaluation of the quality of the finished product. In addition, he is also responsible for the blending of the finished tea. The profession of a teatester is highly respected in the "tea" world, since it is he who determines the quality of a tea sample, giving each one points for the appearance, aroma, color and taste of the infusion. Sophisticated technique is not able to compare with his skill and knowledge. However, a tea taster is more than a profession. It is also a vocation, special abilities (delicious taste, perfect sense of smell), colossal self-discipline, unique experience and extensive knowledge.

Tea tasting is an organoleptic method for assessing the quality of finished products. The word "organoleptic" comes from two ancient Greek words: organon (organ, tool, tool) and leptikos (able to take, perceive). In the tea industry, the organoleptic evaluation method is the main method for determining the quality of tea, so the teatester who determines the variety and category of tea must have a high ability to distinguish all those quality indicators by which it can be determined whether the product being tested meets the requirements of the standards.

The perception of the sense organs is influenced by many factors: the purity and relative humidity of the air, the temperature of the sample and the environment, and the illumination of the room. So, the best air temperature in the room where the organoleptic analysis (tasting) is performed is considered to be 20-24 ° C, and the optimal temperature of the sample prepared for tasting is 80 C. at the level of 60-70%. Experiments have also shown that light sharpens the senses of smell and other senses, having a beneficial effect on general state central nervous system. In addition, in a bright room it is easier to maintain the quality of visual control. Therefore, tea tasting is carried out in a room specially designated for this purpose, in which there is enough light to better capture the differences in shades of tea infusion and boiled leaves when tasting tea, a certain temperature and humidity are maintained, and furnishings do not contain pungent odors so that the tea tester can perceive subtle flavors and aromas.

The ability to perceive can also vary depending on the state of health, mood, degree of fatigue and attentiveness, personal hygiene. Therefore, the rules of the tasting require that before it begins, tea-testers do not consume spicy, odorous and hot dishes, alcoholic beverages, do not use fragrant soap, perfume or cologne, avoid using any cosmetics, and also do not have colds, do not get nervous, do not get distracted.

In organoleptic analyses, an important role is undoubtedly played by the degree of teatester fatigue when testing tea samples. As a result of a nervous state, feeling unwell or evaluating an excessive number of samples, absent-mindedness may appear, sensitivity may decrease, a state of physiological fatigue of the sense organs (their adaptation) and mental inoperability may occur. It has been established that if, when determining the aroma, fatigue occurs after 100-125 samples, then when determining the taste, the sensation noticeably weakens after testing 50 samples, and after 70 samples it completely disappears. Therefore, in tester practice, there are also certain threshold norms for the number of samples (no more than 15-20 assessments are performed in a row).

Tasting order

The production equipment of the tea-testing laboratory is very simple: porcelain tasting cups, teapots with a capacity of up to 125 ml, pharmaceutical scales, a kettle for boiling water, a five-minute hourglass.

As a rule, samples submitted for evaluation are tested by three testers. Each teatester works independently. First, the cleaning (appearance) of tea is checked, then (by eye) - the degree of intensity of the infusion; after that, the sample is tested first for aroma, then for taste; the color of the boiled sheet is checked last.

The tasting procedure is strictly sequential. First, portions of 3 g of tea are weighed on accurate teatester scales, which are brewed for 5 minutes with fresh boiling water of a certain temperature in small porcelain teapots with a standard capacity of 125 ml. While the tea is infused, tea-testers study the contents of the packs - dry tea leaves. By appearance, you can determine the cleaning of dry tea particles (their size, uniformity, curl). Then the resulting infusion is poured into a cup so that boiled tea leaves do not get there. While the tea is cooling, tea-testers evaluate the intensity of the color of the infusion, its shades and transparency, as well as the aroma, which judges the tenderness of the bouquet (combination of taste and aroma), its fullness and strength. Then they taste the tea, and do not drink the infusion, but only slightly rinse their mouth with it. In the taste of tea, tea testers evaluate the "body" of the infusion (its extractiveness), astringency, character, lack of bitterness. In conclusion, the tea-testers check the "decoction" of tea - the appearance of the boiled leaf. After the end of the tasting, the sensations experienced during the tasting are discussed by all three tea-testers, after which a score in points is assigned to one or another tea sample. Usually, if one teatester's score differs from that of two others, then the grade and category are determined by the two teatesters giving the same score. But here it should be noted that such discrepancies in organoleptic analysis are rare, and in most cases all three tea testers give the same score, which is due to their great skill and training. If at least one of the members of the commission admits that the sample has signs of acidity, hotness, mustiness, bitterness or any other foreign smell, to whatever extent these shortcomings are found, the sample is brewed again. At the same time, dubious samples are brewed simultaneously with standard ones, tested in advance and recognized as completely clean. If the previously discovered deficiencies were confirmed during re-testing, then the product is rejected.

International Tea Quality Assessment System

A 10-point assessment of the quality of tea is accepted all over the world, where 0.25 points is a transitional step from one variety to another. Despite the same assessment system, the quality division of tea according to the Russian classification is fundamentally different from that used abroad. So, according to the international classification, long leaf tea is divided into five groups according to its dignity: high; superior; average; below average; short. There is tea of ​​exceptionally high value, which does not belong to any of these groups. Such tea is called Unique - unique (incomparable, exceptional).

This division is somewhat arbitrary, since the assessment is based on the subjective method of organoleptic evaluation of tea quality. However, tea that has been assigned one or another quality category will always have a price corresponding to it.

Main indicators of tea quality

Determination of the quality and grade of tea is carried out by organoleptic analyzes according to five quality indicators:

• 1) appearance;
• 2) the intensity of the infusion;
• 3) aroma;
• 4) taste;
• 5) the color of the boiled leaf.

An unmistakable assessment of product quality depends on the correct definition of each of them.

Consider the significance of these qualitative indicators separately.

1. Appearance of dry tea leaf (tea harvesting). The appearance of tea gives an idea of ​​what raw materials the products are made from, whether the technological regimes are observed, especially in the process of twisting and sorting tea. Cleaning of tea is determined by scattering it on white paper. When assessing the appearance of tea, the main attention is paid to the uniformity of the mass, the color of the tea leaves, the twisting of the leaves, the presence of golden tips, the presence of coarse stems, wood hairs, dust and other impurities.

Well-harvested teas consist of uniform, well-rolled tea leaves, without admixture of teas of other sizes, and have the appropriate color for the type of tea, which indicates the correct sorting.

The presence of golden tips indicates the preparation of tea from delicate raw materials, which are collected at a time when buds with silvery hairs appear on the tea leaves. With proper processing, these hairs (fluff) are covered with juice released from the cells of the tea leaf, and during the drying process they acquire a light golden color. The presence of a large number of golden tips in tea indicates the high merits of tea.

The presence of petioles (red stems) or hairs of wood in the tea indicates that the tea is made from coarse raw materials (raw materials of late harvest) and is poorly sorted. The more petioles or hairs of wood the tea contains, the lower its quality.

The admixture of non-twisted leaf blades negatively affects the quality of tea. When processing coarse raw materials, the third leaf of the tea shoot does not roll well, juice is hardly squeezed out of its cells, therefore, untwisted tea plates contain less extractive substances, which has a very negative effect on the aroma and taste of tea.

2. The color of the tea infusion. Determined by its intensity and the nature of the color. The infusion of tea obtained from a tea leaf processed under normal conditions must be transparent and bright, and its characteristics must not be lower than the declared category of tea. Determining the color of tea and the intensity of its infusion are not the main evaluative features, but each grade of tea according to the type of leaf must have a color intensity corresponding to it, below which the tea loses its rating in grade and is transferred to a lower grade, despite a high rating for aroma and taste. The intensity of the infusion is not evaluated in points, but is characterized by such definitions as "very strong", "strong", "above average", "average", "below average", "weak", "weak".

Consumers place especially high demands on the color of black tea infusion, rightly believing that the more intensely colored the infusion, the higher the quality of the tea. Teas that have a brighter (intense) infusion and red color are defined as superior to duller brown teas or teas that have a greenish color. Dark (grayish-black) or cloudy color of the infusion indicates a defect in black tea. When the tea has a more brownish infusion, the leaf is over-fermented. A dark (grayish) infusion indicates that the fermentation process has been running for an excessively long time. When this phenomenon is accompanied by a sour smell and taste, the tea is not subject to evaluation. An overly light tea infusion with a greenish tint indicates insufficient fermentation and that the raw material has been processed too late.

It should be noted that high quality black tea, rich in tannins, has the ability to precipitate extractive substances - “tea cream”, which are obtained by cooling the tea infusion. "Cream" is a mixture of catechins and caffeine found in hot tea solution. When cooled, they stand out from the solution and are in suspension. With longer cooling, they settle to the bottom. The bright color of "cream" indicates a good quality tea, dull color is considered a negative phenomenon. Usually "cream" forms stronger teas. Assam tea has a "cream" color that looks like milk has been added to it. Regular teas have a dull, heavy "cream". It is characteristic that in light and fragrant infusions "cream" is not formed, but this does not at all reduce the value of tea.

When comparing the intensity of the infusion, it is also taken into account which type of tea belongs to - leaf or small. Fine tea has a more intense infusion than leaf tea.

3. The aroma of tea. In the organoleptic analysis, tea-testers attach great importance to the aroma indicator. This approach is based on the fact that taste properties teas, with the exception of rare cases, completely coincide with the aroma indicators. In the terminology of the foreign tea industry in English, the concepts of flowor and taste have long been distinguished; taste means exclusively a taste sensation, while flowor expresses a mixed sensation of aroma and taste, which reflects a direct relationship between them.

The specific aroma of tea is determined by the content of essential oils in it. Currently, up to twenty different components have been found in the composition of tea essential oils, including aliphatic and aromatic carbohydrates, aldehydes, acids, alcohols, phenols, ketones and other compounds. They are not in in large numbers contained in the green tea leaf and formed during the production of tea, mainly as a result of oxidative processes. Already in the withered leaf, there is a slight increase in the amount of essential oils compared to the fresh leaf, however, during fermentation, the content of essential oils increases intensively, reaching a maximum at the end of the process. As a result of oxidative processes, essential oils undergo profound changes, a complex complex of volatile substances is formed, in connection with which the aroma of tea changes: the components of essential oils that give the tea the smell of a green leaf disappear, instead components are formed that give the tea a specific aroma and are characterized by the smell of roses, citrus fruits. , honey, etc. Their harmony determines the aroma of tea.

Since the fermentation process is typical for the production of mainly black and red tea, it is they who differ from other types in their special aroma.

To evaluate the aroma of tea, the teatester drains the infusion from the teapot and, after allowing the tea leaves to cool slightly, removes the lid from the teapot and determines the nature and strength of the aroma. Good quality teas have the following aroma characteristics: “pleasant”, “strong”, “delicate”, “rosy”, “honey”, “floral”, “lemon”, “bread”, “almond”. Leaf teas have a particularly pronounced aroma. . Defects in the bouquet of tea, its aroma and taste are considered to be “smoky”, “roasted”, “sour”, as well as the smell of greenery or grass, especially with hints of dampness and mustiness. The smell of dampness and mustiness occurs mainly under the action of microorganisms (bacteria) when storing tea in high humidity conditions. The reason for the musty smell may also be damage to the tea leaf before processing.

4. The taste of tea. Of all the indicators that determine the quality of tea, the most important role is played by taste, the properties of which are subject to special requirements. Therefore, the teatester pays special attention to the definition of this dignity of tea.

According to experts, deliciousness is a complex sensation perceived during testing as a result of exposure to smell-taste-touch impulses. When determining the taste of tea, tasters determine the degree of astringency and bouquet - a combination of two quality indicators - aroma and taste. There is a close relationship between aroma and taste, which is confirmed by the fact that in tasting both of these indicators, with minor exceptions, are generally evaluated in the same way in all varieties of tea. At the same time, the aroma and taste are directly dependent on other quality indicators of tea (appearance, color of the boiled leaf, color of the tea infusion). The more tender, well-rolled leaves the tea contains, the stronger (stronger) its infusion, the more the color of the boiled leaf approaches the standard of this type of tea (for example, reddish-light-copper color in black tea), the better the aroma and taste of tea .

Tea testers determine the taste of tea without swallowing, only rinsing their mouth with it, paying the main attention to its astringent properties and fullness. Depending on the astringent action of the infusion on the mucous membrane of the mouth and gums, the astringency of the tea is judged. Tea-testers distinguish strongly astringent teas from less astringent teas, they condemn the taste as bitter, “flat”, “empty”. A bitter taste and lack of astringency indicates the low quality of tea due to its excessive fermentation. In good teas, along with astringency, you should feel the extractiveness, or the "body" of the infusion, which in the tea-tester's assessment is defined by the word "full", that is, quite intense, strong and pleasantly tart. As a rule, broken teas are characterized by greater astringency and fullness of taste than leaf ones.

5. The color of the boiled leaf. The appearance of the boiled leaf (tea-boiling) is a fairly objective indicator of the quality of fermentation. It is directly dependent on the intensity of the infusion, aroma and taste of tea.

The boiling of tea is determined after the infusion is drained, and the boiled leaf is tipped over onto the lid of the teapot and squeezed out. In the best black tea, it has the color of a new copper coin, other shades of the boiled leaf (brown, green, dull, dark, and others) indicate violations of the fermentation technology and characterize teas of lower quality. So, for example, a brownish color indicates that the leaf is overfermented, which is especially detrimental to the aroma of tea, and a dark (blackish) color, which usually results from overfermentation, is considered a defect. A boiled leaf of underfermented tea is always characterized by a greenish color. If the boiled leaf contains tea leaves of light brown and greenish color, this is due to the processing of heterogeneous raw materials, since with the same technological regime, raw materials of different ambiguity react differently to technological processes during withering, twisting and fermentation. If most of the boiled leaf is well fermented, has a light brown color, but still contains a small amount of dark-colored tea leaves, this must be attributed to incorrect blending.

Blend. Compilation of trade grades of tea

Finished products of primary processing tea factories - trade mark - are raw materials for tea-packing factories, which belong to tea recycling enterprises.

The main purpose of tea-packing factories is to prepare mixtures of commercial grades of tea from factory brands in strict accordance with approved recipes.

Commercial grades of tea, or trade blends, are prepared by blending several brand names that are identical in appearance and grade. Blending is due to the need to obtain a trade mixture with certain quality indicators (taste, aroma, infusion intensity, etc.), since individual brands usually do not have a complex of these indicators. Tea is mixed (blended) by all large companies and they do it, first of all, in order to keep the main indicators of the quality of their tea unchanged, regardless of the results of the collection and processing of the leaf by raw material suppliers. For each brand of tea, there are several recipes depending on the incoming brands of tea. For example, there are special recipes for small and large types of tea, recipes for developing branded teas from the same or different places of growth. Special formulations of commercial tea varieties also provide for the use of imported tea.

The basic principle of compiling trade blends from teas different varieties and categories is not only to mechanically mix some components with others, but to skillfully combine all the quality indicators of different varieties of tea, taking into account the characteristics of individual regions, in order to obtain a mixture in terms of quality - aroma, taste and infusion - corresponding to a certain commercial grade. The finished product (trade mix) must have all the properties inherent in good tea. This delicate work is carried out by the teatester of a tea-packing or tea-pressing factory.

The advantages of tea largely depend on how correctly the quality indicators of individual tea components intended for inclusion in the trade mixture are selected by the teatester of the factory. In order to comprehensively take into account all the features of tea quality when compiling mixtures, the teatester of the factory checks the quality of each brand separately, evaluating its quality indicators by tasting - the appearance (cleaning) of the tea leaf, aroma, taste and intensity of the infusion. Tasters, in accordance with organoleptic indicators, select from a wide variety of raw materials those brands of tea that can create the most complete bouquet of the trade mixture.

Determining the quality of tea in retail

Tea in Russia is sold by more than 60 domestic and foreign firms. In the range of each seller - from tens to hundreds of items. In addition to the trademarks that everyone hears about, there is a whole sea of ​​​​tea types with intriguing and completely new names, which appear more and more every year. In order not to be mistaken in the quality of the goods, to distinguish good tea from bad, real - from fake, and most importantly - to find "your" taste of a wonderful drink, you need to at least master simple technique his choice.

According to experts, the taste and aroma of tea largely depends on the characteristics of the raw materials, the technology of its processing, the conditions of transportation and storage. Truthful information about where, when and how exactly all of the above processes took place must accompany each package of quality tea that enters the distribution network. Manufacturers encode this information in a special way using different letters and symbols that can be seen on the packaging.

According to the state standard, the label contains information not only about the variety, type, weight and shelf life of tea, but also the name, address and logo (trademark) of the company responsible for the production of tea. Often, the packaging also indicates the date and time of the collection of the leaf, the number of the plantation. Trademark permission is issued by the National Tea Committee, so the National Tea Committee marks are considered to be a guarantee of a high quality product. So, tea produced in the state of Sri Lanka has a badge with a lion, and on the product of an Indian manufacturer, you can see the logo with a girl.

An important indicator of quality is the shelf life. If you cannot find it on the pack or it turns out that it has already expired, you should not buy such a product in any case - expired tea is not just tasteless, but, as is commonly believed in China, is harmful to health.

Tea is classified according to region of origin and leaf size. The tea packaging must indicate the name of the country where the native plantation of this tea is located, and the countries involved in the process of bringing it to the end consumer. For example, the words "Packet in Sri-Lanka" can be read on a pack of tea grown and packaged in Sri Lanka. It is generally believed that if the tea is packed in the same place where it was grown, this is a guarantee of quality. In fact, this is not always the case. Industry professionals argue that various violations in the packaging of tea are often found both at local tea recycling factories and at its direct producers. Therefore, the question of which tea is better - packed by the country of origin or locally packaged - does not have a definite answer. However, there is a traditional way to determine the quality of black tea: to do this, you need to boil water, brew leaves or a bag in it, and then dip a slice of lemon into the infusion. Genuine tea brightens significantly from this, and fake tea loses very little in color.

In the international black tea labeling system, there are separate designations for the tea leaf, depending on how it is rolled. Tea produced in the traditional way is marked on the package with the word orthodox, and this is a sign of a high quality product. The letters "C.T.S" clearly indicate granulated tea.

On packs of loose tea, you can also find the English words pure or blended. Pure refers to a quality, single varietal tea. Blended indicates that the tea is blended, that is, it is a trade mixture from different plantations.

International classification designations of size and quality - tea leaves are present on the pack as a combination of several letters - both for whole-leaf (large-leaf) and for smaller ones (crushed). These designations were discussed above, so here we only note that on packages with elite tea they write in detail which leaf is included in the composition - type, first or second.

A lot can be said about the merits of the sheet, not only after deciphering the symbols on the package, but also by its very appearance. High-quality tea is sold packed in cardboard boxes, jars made of food tin, wooden boxes, glass or ceramic containers, it feels quite good in foil packaging. In fake packs, tea is wrapped in polyethylene, or even does not have an additional shell at all. Therefore, on the cardboard boxes of some manufacturers (for example, Ahmad, Lipton, Dilmah and others) there are small windows through which you can see how the tea is packaged.

Another indicator of quality may be the price of tea. However, it is a capricious value, depending not only on quality, but also on many other factors. On the one hand, the price of high-quality tea starts from 20-25 rubles per 100-gram pack, on the other hand, expensive does not necessarily mean the best. So, tea packaged in Ceylon, due to customs duties, costs 20-50% more than the same in all respects, but packed at a local factory. Although, of course, high-quality teas are expensive on the world market and can be a significant figure for individual brands (for example, such super-elite teas as Te Guan-yin varieties cost ten thousand dollars per kilogram).

Tea storage

The quality of tea during its storage usually deteriorates. When storing tea in the finished product, a number of transformations occur, which lead to a decrease in the content of esters and carbonyl compounds, tannin and extractives. In this case, tea loses aroma, taste and freshness, and therefore this phenomenon is often called tea aging. It should be borne in mind that if the storage conditions are not observed, even the most exquisite tea variety may turn out to be worse in terms of basic quality indicators than a low variety of good preservation.

English and Dutch technologists believe that the preservation of the quality of tea depends on the moisture content of the tea during packaging, the perfection of the packaging and the degree of its sealing, as well as the degree of sterility of the product.

As you can see, one of the main factors on which the change in the quality of tea depends is its humidity. After drying, during which the formation of a characteristic aroma and taste is finally completed, the tea has a moisture content of no more than 3-5%, but due to its hygroscopicity, if improperly packaged and stored, it can gradually absorb moisture, which significantly degrades its quality. So, with an increase in tea humidity by 4%, its quality decreases by 25-45%, depending on the shelf life.

Green teas, differing from black teas in chemical composition, are characterized by lower hygroscopicity, since the technology for the production of green long leaf tea is fundamentally different from the technology for the production of black long leaf tea. The hygroscopicity of tea depends mainly on the content of tannins, proteins, pectins and other colloids in the tea. At present, it can be considered established that when storing tea, even under hermetic conditions, it is completely impossible to eliminate the aging process of tea, since oxidation inevitably occurs in it due to the oxygen and water contained in the tea itself and in the container. In this respect, the aging of tea can be seen as a continuation chemical processes occurring during fermentation, with the only difference being that during fermentation these reactions proceed vigorously, while in the finished product they proceed very slowly but continuously. Therefore, the best storage properties are green tea because teas that are less fermented and high in unoxidized tannin absorb less moisture than more fermented and low tannins.

The temperature of the external environment has a great influence on the preservation of the quality of tea. Hermetically packed tea at a low temperature (5-6 °C) is better preserved than at a high temperature (+35 °C), since at the same relative humidity of the ambient air, the intensity of moisture absorption by tea is the higher, the higher the air temperature, and vice versa. The size of the tea leaves also has some effect on the rate of moisture absorption. As a rule, small teas absorb moisture faster than large ones.

The decisive factor in preserving all the properties of tea is the container where the tea is stored, the degree of its sealing and the quality characteristics of the material from which it is made. The container must provide sufficient tightness to prevent the penetration of moisture and foreign odors. First of all, the aroma of tea suffers, as the amount of aromatic substances (volatile aldehydes and essential oils) quickly decreases, while the content of biologically active substances - amino acids, vitamins, catechins - decreases, which significantly devalues ​​its healing properties.

The best containers for storing tea are jars made of food tin, glass or ceramic containers. It is advisable to place the contents of cardboard or wooden boxes in them after purchase - whether it is a scattering of fragrant leaves or bags. Do not use plastic bags or plastic products to store tea. In them, the tea "suffocates" and becomes moldy. You should also avoid storing tea near products or objects that have a characteristically strong smell, as well as in dusty rooms with high humidity and a large temperature difference.

Chapter 6 from Wu Wei Xin. Encyclopedia of healing tea»

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1.2. Factors that determine organoleptic properties
The organoleptic properties of tea, and, consequently, its quality depend on many factors that develop gradually, starting from the moment the tea bush grows on the plantation and ending with the final stage of industrial processing - aromatization. These factors include:

conditions for the growth of a tea plant (soil properties, rainfall, exposure to the sun, etc.);

conditions for collecting tea leaves (carefulness of collection, type of collection - manual or machine, type of leaves - the younger, more tender the collected flushes, the higher the grade of the finished tea);

time of tea leaf collection (this indicator is individual for each geographical area);

the nature of the processing technology system(more thorough processing without the slightest violation of technology gives more high grades;

The nature of additional processing (artificial flavoring and blending).

The organoleptic properties of tea largely depend on the raw materials, technologies for its processing, as well as on storage and transportation.
1.2.1 Raw materials
It is important to know that not the entire leaf is harvested, but only the most tender, youngest, soft and juicy leaves and a bud at the tip of the shoot. A bud, or tips, can be either just started or recently bloomed (fully blooming flowers are of no value for tea, because they do not transfer their aroma to the tea leaves at all). Such a tip of a tea shoot (2-3 leaves and a bud) is called a flush. It makes the best tea.

Tea can be harvested manually or by machines. The hand-made method is considered the best (hand-made Indian teas are often labeled classic). hand-picked leaves are not damaged, in addition, pickers select only the best of them, immediately rejecting broken, dirty or diseased ones. This method is also the most time-consuming: pickers usually have to work on steep mountain slopes, picking at least 35 kg of tea, which is gently placed in large baskets behind the back and carried just as carefully so as not to damage the capricious leaves that do not like shaking.
Tea harvesters have been used since the 1930s. Modern tea harvesters are in many ways reminiscent of huge vacuum cleaners that "suck" the leaves from the tea bush. Usually, tea harvested by machines is considered to be of low quality and goes mainly to the preparation of small-leaf teas or pharmaceutical industry to get caffeine.
1.2.2. Production
The tea leaf is immediately transported from the plantation to the tea factories after picking. Usually tea processing factories are built in close proximity to plantations, as a long journey degrades the quality of fresh leaves.

Tea production is a versatile process that includes standard tea leaf processing steps. The number of these stages and their specifics depend on what kind of tea they want to produce. In other words, what type (or grade) of tea will be obtained from the collected leaf depends entirely on the processing algorithm.

The most important stages in the processing of tea leaves are: withering, leaf rolling, fermentation, drying, sorting and packaging of finished products.

The main goal of the stage withering- dehydration of the tea leaf. In mechanized production, leaves are withered in special rotating drums (25 to 30 meters) surrounded by wire mesh. Artificial injection of air of the required temperature and humidity leads to the fact that after a few hours (from 3 to 8) the leaves lose up to 40% of the liquid, become softer and more elastic, exactly the kind that are necessary for the next stage - twisting. In the case of natural withering of the leaf, the process stretches from 18 to 22 hours, it takes place in special rooms or under a canopy, where the tea laid out on pallets is blown by the usual wind. The quality of withering is usually determined by the degree of weight loss of the feedstock.

A task twisting- squeeze out as much tea juice as possible from tea leaves, destroying their structure. Twisting is carried out on special roller machines equipped with a vertically located cylinder without a bottom and a round table, the gap between which is 15 mm. Tea passed through CTC machines is labeled as “CTC” (cuts, tears, curls), which means “press, grind, twist” in translation. Tea class CTC in the manufacturing process goes through three stages of processing, which are reflected in the name. The machines quickly press the tea leaves, then grind (cut) them heavily and finally roll them tightly into granular balls. After that, the tea granules are dried in ovens or dehydrated in any other way. CTC plays an important role in tea production, as it is a fully mechanized process that allows large quantities of tea to be produced very quickly, as well as processing raw materials that were previously discarded. In addition, CTC technology has a certain advantage, making it possible to produce the strongest teas with a high caffeine content, even from low-quality leaves.

Fermentation- one of the main stages in the production of black tea. The term "fermentation" was first used in 1901 as the name for the oxidation process started by tea enzymes. Fermentation usually occurs without the intervention of machines and humans. The fermentation process begins already during leaf curling and lasts from 2 to 3 hours. Yellow-green tea leaves turn red-brown at this time. The room where fermentation takes place is maintained relatively low temperature and high relative humidity - 95-98%. To do this, water is sprayed, the room is heated, and oxygen is provided.

Fermentation reduces the tannins, activates the caffeine in the tea and creates conditions for the formation of new essential oils, resulting in the characteristic aromas of black tea - ranging from floral to fruity, nutty and spicy. The duration of the process should not exceed 4 hours, fermentation is stopped exactly at the moment when the aroma of tea reaches the optimum condition.

Drying the tea leaf at high temperature is the only way to stop the fermentation process. If this is not done, then the tea will simply grow moldy and rot. This process is delicate, because if the tea is not dried out, it will quickly deteriorate in packs; if it is dried out, it will simply char and acquire a disgusting burnt taste. The ideal drying result is dry raw tea, which contains no more than 2-5% water.

Drying it is produced by supplying hot air in special tea-drying machines at a temperature of 92-95 degrees C. Moreover, the temperature of the semi-finished tea itself reaches 70-75 degrees. The drying process lasts 20-22 minutes. An important condition the correct production of tea is also the rapid cooling of tea raw materials. During drying, the tea turns black. Essential oils and the juice released during fermentation “sticks” to the surface of the tea leaves in order to release all the flavor only during brewing.

After the tea has been dried and cooled, it sort according to the degree of crushing of the leaves (by sieving through sieves of different sizes) and classify. Tea is classified not only according to the area of ​​cultivation, but also depending on the size of the leaves and their serial number on the branch of the tea plant.

Finally, the last stage of production - packaging, or package, tea, which is carried out immediately after the tea is sorted. Traditionally, tea is packaged in branded boxes lined with foil and paper, lined with galvanized sheet on the outside. In turn, such boxes are packed in additional boxes made of hardwood, and when transported by sea, they are still covered with jute. These precautions are explained by the fact that tea is very hygroscopic, it can absorb up to 13% moisture. Poorly packaged tea can become moldy and lose its aroma.

Although tasting is not included in the tea production chain, this process is extremely important.

The first tasting usually takes place immediately after production is completed and before the tea is packaged. The color, aroma, taste of the drink and dry tea are assessed by specialists called tea-testers (from the English tea - "tea" and taste - "taste, experience"). With small sips from a bowl, the teatester draws infusion of tea into his mouth, enveloping his tongue and palate. After that, according to the rules, it is required to spit out the contents into a special vessel. One teatester can complete 15-20 taste evaluations, then a break is needed. Tea testing is carried out only until noon: then sensations become dull. In addition to tasting tea testers, the factory also conducts laboratory analysis of tea - biochemical, chemical, gas.

Before reaching the end consumer, tea is tasted at least four more times - but this is done already in the process of buying it. The tea is tasted once by the broker (or his expert), who then sends samples of the tea to importers. And then it is checked three more times by the importer's expert, who then places an order with the broker. Once again, tea is tried after purchase at an auction, immediately before shipment, to make sure that the purchased product matches the sample sent earlier. The final check takes place when the tea reaches its destination (to ensure that the quality of the tea has not been adversely affected by the transport). Only elite Chinese tea varieties are not subjected to such a thorough and repeated check, since their quality is a priori considered impeccable.
2.
Practical part

2.1.
Terms of tasting evaluation
The exact establishment of tea quality indicators by organoleptic analysis largely depends on the conditions in which the tea is tasted.

The perception of the sense organs is influenced by many factors: the purity and relative humidity of the air, the temperature of the sample and the environment, and the illumination of the room. Thus, the best air temperature in the room where the organoleptic analysis (tasting) is performed is considered to be 20-24°C, and the optimal temperature of the sample prepared for tasting is 80°C. Relative humidity, which contributes to a better perception of smell in the organoleptic analysis of tea, is desirable to maintain at the level of 60-70%.

In the laboratory (tasting room) the possibility of penetration of extraneous odors should be excluded. If there is an extraneous smell in the tasting room, it is impossible to accurately determine one of the main quality indicators - the aroma of tea.

An accurate determination of the appearance of tea, the intensity of the infusion and the color of the boiled leaf is possible only in a well-lit tasting room with natural light. Direct sunlight or artificial lighting does not allow you to correctly determine all five quality indicators. When the sun's rays fall directly on the tea infusion, it appears pale; the appearance of dry tea seems to be completely different than it actually is, since the hit of the rays forms a shadow from the tea particles and distorts the idea of ​​​​the appearance of the product. Under artificial lighting, it is impossible to accurately determine the color of the boiled sheet.

When tasting tea in the tasting room, there must be absolute silence, because the noise can distract the attention of the teatester and he can make a mistake. It has been observed that in noisy conditions, the perception of aroma by the olfactory organs of a person usually decreases.

The ability to perceive can also vary depending on the state of health, mood, degree of fatigue and attentiveness, personal hygiene. Therefore, the rules of the tasting require that before it begins, tea-testers do not consume spicy, odorous and hot dishes, alcoholic beverages, do not use fragrant soap, perfume or cologne, avoid using any cosmetics, and also do not have colds, do not get nervous, do not get distracted.

In organoleptic analyses, an important role is undoubtedly played by the degree of teatester fatigue when testing tea samples. As a result of a nervous state, feeling unwell or evaluating an excessive number of samples, absent-mindedness may appear, sensitivity may decrease, a state of physiological fatigue of the sense organs (their adaptation) and mental inoperability may occur.

2.2. Scales of tasting analysis and their characteristics

The organoleptic indicators of products are non-measurable, the values ​​of which cannot be expressed in physical scales. Characterization of taste, smell, texture and other sensory features is given in qualitative descriptions. To convert quality into quantity, non-dimensional scales are used in peer review: usually in points, less often in fractions of a unit or percentage.

The point scale is an ordered set of numbers and qualitative characteristics that are brought into line with the evaluated objects according to the attribute being determined.

The scoring scale serves to assign a quantitative assessment to objects, which is a measure of the expression of the qualitative level of a feature. The scale is characterized by a range, or score, which is understood as the number of quality levels included in the scale, in other words, the number of evaluation points does not always coincide with the number of points, since the scores can be divided into shares (1.1-1.5-1.7 points, etc.) or not all points (5, 10, 15, 20-50 points, etc.) may be used in the assessment. For example, a scale with the highest score of five with a gradation of 0.5 points has the same range as a scale with the highest score of 10 points with a gradation of 1 point and similarly a scale with a maximum score of 100 points with a gradation of 10 points. If these scoring scales do not use 0, then they all have the same range with 10 quality levels.

When developing scoring scales, the gradation of the scale is determined depending on the nature of the task, the quality of experts, the required accuracy of the results and the possibility of verbal description of the characteristics of quality levels.

For expert assessment of product quality, it is recommended to use scales with an odd number of quality levels, more often point scales with three, five, seven, nine quality gradations are used.

An experienced taster is able to remember and distinguish only 6-10 quality levels of each indicator. A common disadvantage of scales containing big number points or a large number of quality levels, is the presence of "dead zones" with unsatisfactory ratings, which, as a rule, are not used in the work of expert tasters.

The optimal scale satisfies the main condition: each scale point should correspond to a different level of quality perceived by the average taster, and it is convenient to use a scale with the same number of points to evaluate individual quality indicators.

In order to ensure the distinguishability of the scale steps, it is necessary to give the tasters a description that reflects the characteristic features of the gradations, allowing one to clearly distinguish each level of the point scale from those bordering on it and expressing the degree of quality of the indicator being evaluated.

A 10-point assessment of the quality of tea is accepted all over the world, where 0.25 points is a transitional step from one variety to another. Despite the same assessment system, the quality division of tea according to the Russian classification is fundamentally different from that used abroad. So, according to the international classification, long leaf tea is divided into five groups according to its dignity: high; superior; average; below average; short. There is tea of ​​exceptionally high value, which does not belong to any of these groups. Such tea is called Unique - unique (incomparable, exceptional).

According to GOST 1938-90 “Black tea packaged. Specifications” according to quality indicators, tea is divided into five varieties:

· "Bouquet";

· Supreme;

· The first;

· Second;

· Third.

In accordance with the requirements of GOST, a tasting scale of a 5-point organoleptic evaluation of the quality of black long leaf tea was compiled:

Appearance of loose tea (cleaning)

Aroma and taste

Broken leaf color

Overall quality rating

Weights

Positive quality indicators

Smooth, uniform, well twisted, the presence of golden and silver tips

Bright, transparent, intense, above-average

Subtle, delicate aroma, pleasant strongly tart taste

Uniform color with brown-red or light brown tint or bright copper color

excellent quality

Smooth, uniform, the tea leaves are well twisted

Bright, transparent, "medium"

Delicate aroma, pleasant with astringency taste

Uniform with a light brown tint

Not straight enough, twisted

Not bright enough, transparent

Quite delicate aroma, medium astringency taste

Not uniform enough, brown

Satisfactory

Negative quality scores

Uneven, insufficiently curled, brown or red untwisted sheets

Transparent, "lower average"

Insufficient aroma and astringency

Inhomogeneous, dark brown color with a greenish tinge

Bad (barely acceptable)

Lumpy, poorly twisted tea leaves, presence of petioles (red stems) or wood fibers

Insufficiently transparent, cloudy, “weak”

Weak aroma, slightly tart taste, grassy smell

Inhomogeneous, dull color with a tint

Very bad (technical defect)

When assigning weight coefficients, the highest value was given to the indicator "taste and aroma", because it most fully reflects the ability of the product to perform its main purpose.

Five points correspond to the description of the characteristics of the standard, which represents the highest (or world) level of product quality. Grades 4 and 3 points correspond to the first and second categories of quality according to the requirements of the standard.

Points are awarded according to the following principle:

5 points - tea has distinctly positive properties with respect to the assessed feature; the overall impression is completely harmonious. No defects or deficiencies found.

4 points - tea has no noticeable defects or shortcomings, gives almost complete pleasure.

3 points - the positive characteristics of tea are worsened; the product has noticeable defects or defects; the assessment of pleasure corresponds to an acceptable level.

2 points - has flaws and defects, therefore, it does not meet the requirements of the standard. The pleasure rating is lowered, but the tea can be sold under certain conditions (for example, with a proportional reduction in price).

1 point - tea has significant defects and shortcomings, therefore it is not suitable for consumption. However, the product may be intended for recycling. This tea is not suitable for consumption. continuation
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3. Tasting part
3.1. Setting up an experiment

The quality of the appearance of the dry tea leaf, the intensity of the tea infusion, its aroma and taste are always checked, and the color of the tea leaf in the infusion is also evaluated.

When conducting an organoleptic analysis, the quality and grade of tea are determined according to the following main features:

· 1. Appearance of tea;

2. The intensity of the infusion;

3. Aroma of infusion;

4. Taste of infusion;

· 5. The color of the boiled leaf.
Infusion, aroma, taste and color of the boiled leaf is determined after brewing tea. To do this, 3 g of tea is weighed, and poured into a porcelain teatester teapot, poured 125 ml of freshly boiling water. The teapot is quickly closed with a lid, and the infusion is kept for 5 minutes.

During the infusion of tea, tea testers examine the dry tea leaves in the tea pack. The appearance (cleaning) of dry tea is determined by examining it in diffused daylight or bright artificial light.

When determining the appearance of dry tea, attention is paid to the color, evenness, uniformity and twisting of the tea leaves. You should also pay attention to the content of golden hairs of wood, untwisted leaf blades and other inclusions in long leaf tea. The presence of golden and silver tips indicates that the tea is made from delicate high-quality raw materials. When properly processed, the unopened buds of the tea plant turn into a light golden color during the drying process. The presence of petioles (red stems) or wood fibers in tea indicates that the tea is made from coarse raw materials and is poorly sorted. The more petioles or wood fibers the tea contains, the lower its quality.

Brown and red non-twisted leaves can be found in black long leaf tea, which is explained by the delay in processing the tea leaf, which is poorly rolled and not fermented. The more brown leaves in tea, the worse its quality.

At the end of the brewing period, the infusion is poured into a special white porcelain cup so that the boiled tea leaves do not get into the infusion. When pouring the infusion into a cup, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the infusion from the teapot is completely poured out. The teapot is shaken several times so that the last thickest drops of the infusion completely drain into the cup.

In the infusion of tea, its characteristics and taste are determined, and in the tea remaining after draining from the teapot, the aroma and color of the boiled leaf are determined.

When characterizing the infusion, attention is paid to its transparency, intensity and color. Bright coloring and the transparency that always accompanies it is a sure sign of high quality tea, which cannot be said about color.

Brown, dark, cloudy color is considered a disadvantage and indicates a violation of the technological regime.

To determine the taste and aroma of tea, they do not start immediately after pouring the infusion, but after 1-1.5 minutes. During this time, the brewed leaf in the teapot cools slightly, which contributes to better absorption of the aroma. When hot, it is impossible to catch the actual aroma of tea. But one should not hesitate to test for more than 1.5 minutes. The more the tea cools in the teapot, the more difficult it is to catch its aroma. When cooled, the aroma of tea of ​​the highest quality from the tea of ​​the lowest quality cannot be distinguished.

Before you taste the tea infusion, you need to study the color of the infusion, its shades, transparency and aroma. The aroma evaluates the tenderness, fullness and strength of the tea bouquet. To determine the aroma of tea, quickly open the lid of the teapot, bring it to the nose and, drawing in air strongly, evaluate the smell.

The tea may have a full bouquet, a delicate, light, pleasant or a weak, coarse aroma, depending on the variety. In teatester practice, a special terminology is adopted to determine the aroma of high-quality tea: rose, almond, chalky, citrus, a mixture of strawberry, geranium, and blackcurrant aromas, etc.

Undesirable odors in the aroma of tea are the result of a violation of technology or improper storage: hotness, smell of greenery, mustiness, smoky, moldy and other odors uncharacteristic of tea. To determine the taste, they drink a little tea from a cup and, without swallowing, roll it in the mouth, evaluating the taste sensations. The taste of the tea may be astringent, not sufficiently astringent, or coarse, depending on the commercial variety.

The astringency and fullness of the taste of the infusion is a sign of the high extarcity of teas, their high P-vitamin activity. Tea that lacks strength or fullness of flavor is considered "watery," empty, and may be caused by weak curl or a long fermentation process. Unfermented tea always has a bitter taste.

The evaluation of the color of the boiled leaf gives a reliable idea of ​​the quality of the tea.

The boiled leaf is laid out on the lid of the teapot and its color is determined.

The color of the boiled leaf is directly dependent on the intensity of the infusion, the aroma and taste of the tea.

When determining the color of a boiled leaf, attention is paid to its uniformity: the lower the grade of tea, the less uniform the color. It can be light brown to dark brown for black long leaf tea.

The dark color of the boiled leaf of black long leaf tea is usually observed with excessive fermentation or excessive withering of the tea leaf; with insufficient fermentation, the green color remains. High-quality tea has a boiled leaf of bright copper color.

As a result of the tasting assessment, the following defects may be detected:

clogging (petioles, coarse leaves, fibers and other impurities) occurs as a result of the collection of coarse tea leaves from the bushes, including during machine harvesting and insufficient cleaning during sorting;

Mixed tea is obtained as a result of improper drying (high temperature and slow progress of tea in the dryer);

· sour taste and smell arise due to violation of the process and duration of fermentation, drying;

roasted tea is formed as a result of proper drying

(high temperature and slow progress of tea in the dryer);

The gray color of the tips is the result of excessive friction during dry sorting of tea and prolonged leaf twisting;

The “watery”, “empty taste” of the infusion may be due to excessive weak twisting or too long fermentation of the tea leaf;

lifeless infusion (tea with insufficiently astringent taste) appears as a result of increased leaf moisture and

"steaming" tea during drying;

green tea (the presence of the aroma of "green" and bitter taste) occurs as a result of insufficient fermentation;

The black color of tips is typical for May or June harvests and with excessive drying of the leaf;

The dark color of the boiled leaf appears due to excessive fermentation and excessive drying;

variegated color of the brewed sheet is formed during the processing and sorting of heterogeneous material;

musty, moldy and other foreign odors occur due to violation of the sheet storage technology and high humidity

(more than 90%) of tea during storage. This tea is not suitable for consumption.
3.1.1 Members
The participants of the tasting evaluation are ordinary customers who prefer to drink black tea. They are not professional tea testers, their assessment will be based on their own experience and preferences.

The purpose of the tasting assessment is to determine the quality of the studied tea samples, as well as to identify the best sample among them.
3.1.2. Objects
Millions of people around the world start their day with a fragrant cup of an exciting drink that tones and invigorates, giving a boost of energy for the whole day ahead.

In accordance with the preferences of consumers who, according to surveys, prefer black Indian or Ceylon tea, 2 samples of black long leaf tea were purchased for tasting evaluation:

1 sample - tea black long leaf Ceylon BOP 1 "AhmadTea";

Sample 2 - Ceylon black long leaf large-leaf tea "Greenfield Golden Ceylon" Greenfield.

Both trade marks teas have been on the Russian market for a long time and have managed to win the trust of consumers. In addition, they occupy a leading position in sales in Russia.
3.1.3. Methods of organoleptic analysis
Depending on the task, various methods are used, which can be divided into three groups:

methods of acceptability and preference (preference, desirability, satisfaction);

Distinctive methods (comparisons, distinctions, differentiations);

descriptive methods.

Acceptance and preference methods are used when it is necessary to know the opinion of consumers about the quality of products, so tastings usually involve a large number of consumers.

Discrimination methods are used when it is required to find out if there is a difference between the samples being evaluated. Some methods from this group also make it possible to quantify the existing difference. Distinctive methods are also widely used in testing the sensory abilities of tasters. Distinctive methods include pairwise comparison, triangular (triangular), duo-trio and some others.

With the help of descriptive methods, it is possible to summarize the parameters that determine the properties of the product, consider the intensity of these properties, and in some cases, the order in which the individual components of the properties of the product appear, i.e. build property profiles (for example, profiles of taste, smell, consistency of the product). The application of descriptive methods requires the involvement of well-trained teams of specialists. In the methodology of organoleptic analysis, descriptive methods are the most important. Only when there is a detailed description of the products and the properties described are labeled according to the intensity of manifestation, it is possible to detect true differences, or drift, of the product, i.e., a subtle, gradual shift in characteristics within a certain period of time.

Descriptive methods are widely used in profile analysis and a scoring system for assessing the quality of products.

Depending on the degree of preparedness and qualification of the tasters organoleptic methods can be divided into consumer, based on the scale of desirability, and analytical, based on scales of the intensity of a particular impulse.

Consumer evaluation is simple, accessible, and often has one goal: to determine whether or not a product is liked. The evaluation committee should consist of at least 20 people, preferably 30-40.

Methods of consumer assessment. They aim to check the reaction of consumers in connection with a change in the recipe and technological regimes. Simultaneously with the new product, it is necessary to evaluate the existing product prepared in the traditional way. Since consumers are very different, the following conditions are recommended.

To involve in the assessment a wide range of consumers, preferably of the region where the product will be sold. In this case, one should be guided by the opinion of such a category of persons for which the product is intended.

When conducting consumer evaluations, tasters may use the simplest single test method, comparing the evaluated sample from memory, or use a more advanced control sample method based on comparing the characteristics of a food or flavor product with those of a control sample.

The system of preference and acceptability more often used in consumer evaluation using a desirability scale allows you to select not only the best sample, but also the degree of its desirability depending on any factor: changes in the recipe, storage conditions and terms, technological regime, etc. Percentage undesirability is calculated as the ratio of undesirable ratings for each sample to the total number of ratings.

The preference method is based on determining the degree of preference for one or more samples selected from a number of samples presented for evaluation, using hedonic scales (from the Greek hedone - pleasure). The hedonic scale reflects the degree of acceptability and preference in the interval "like - dislike".

Analytical methods of organoleptic analysis. Based on a quantitative assessment of quality indicators and allow you to establish a correlation between individual features. Analytical methods include paired comparison methods, triangular (triangular), duo-trio, rank, profile, dilution index method, scoring method, etc. The tasting commission should consist of 5-9 people with special knowledge, skills and proven sensitivity.

distinctive methods.

Among the analytical methods, groups of qualitative and quantitative distinguishing tests can be distinguished. The first group includes comparison methods: paired, triangular (triangular), two out of three (duo-trio), two out of five, A-not-A, and also rank (ordinal). Qualitative difference methods allow answering the question of whether there is a difference between the evaluated samples in one of the quality indicators (taste, smell, texture, appearance) or the overall impression of quality, but do not answer the question of what is the difference between the samples.

Quantitative discrimination tests include dilution index methods and the scoring method. These methods allow you to quantify the intensity of a particular property or the level of quality of the product as a whole.

Qualitative discrimination methods: pairwise comparison, triangular (triangular), duo-trio, two out of five - are based on the comparison of two similar samples A and B with mild differences. Samples may be presented as a pair (paired method), as samples of three samples (two of which are identical), or as samples of five samples (one sample is repeated twice in the sample, the other three times). Samples must be coded. The probability of a correct answer when submitting a paired sample is 50%, in a triple sample - 33.3%. To ensure the reliability of the results, the samples are repeated several times, and the order of submitting the samples in the set is changed each time. Methods are used in cases where it is necessary to verify whether there are differences between two samples of the product. These tests are also used in the selection of tasters.

Paired comparison test according to ISO 5495.

The taster is asked to evaluate 6-8 coded pairs of samples. In pairs, two slightly different samples are completed. In all pairs, the same samples are offered, but in an arbitrary sequence, for example, AB, BA, BA, AB, etc. The evaluator is asked to determine the sample with a higher degree of symptom expression in each pair.

The method is used when testing the sensory abilities of tasters. No more than one error is allowed in a set of paired samples.

It is convenient to use the paired comparison method to determine the effect of any factor on the quality of a product: a change in the recipe, the mode of the technological process of production or storage, the use of a new type of packaging, etc. Tasters are offered sets of paired samples. The answer may lie in recognizing the samples as the same or different. Only one property may be assessed at a time (eg, flavor or texture, or other property). If it is required to compare different properties, the test must be repeated as many times as the properties of the product are evaluated. The paired comparison method can also be used in cases where it is necessary to find out which of the two products is preferable.

Triangular (triangular) and duo-trio methods. Used to determine subtle differences. Triangular test according to ISO 4120 and Duo-trio test according to ISO 10399.

The triangular method compares three samples, two of which are identical. Samples are encoded and assembled in the form of blocks, for example, according to the following scheme: BAB, AAB, ABA, ABB, BAA, BBA, BAB. The appraiser is offered from three to seven triple blocks, in which identical ones must be determined. In seven triplicate samples, no more than two taster errors are allowed.

When using the duo-trio method, the taster evaluates first a standard sample, and then two samples, one of which is identical to the standard. The two samples are assembled as six to seven paired samples, which are coded. The evaluator is asked to determine in each pair a sample identical to the standard.

The triangular (triple) and duo-trio methods are more accurate than the paired comparison method. They can be used for analytical purposes to establish differences in individual quality indicators, as well as in the selection of tasters.

With a large number of samples, the reliability of organoleptic analysis in the methods of paired and triangular comparisons is achieved by processing tasting sheets using probability theory.

Method two out of five. Requires two A samples and three B samples (or vice versa) with little difference. Samples are assembled in blocks of five, coded and offered to the taster, for example, according to the scheme ABBAB, BBAAB, ABABB, AABAB, ABABA, BABAA. The task is to differentiate the samples in each block, dividing them into two groups: with a less intense and more intense degree of expression of a certain trait.

This method is more efficient than the triangular and pairwise comparison methods, but laborious. In addition, tasters become more fatigued when using this method, so the two out of five method is rarely used.

Single stimulus method (A-not-A method) according to ISO 8588 "A" not "A". It consists in the fact that after a preliminary acquaintance with the standard sample (A) and different (not A) product samples, the taster identifies them in a series of coded samples.

The method of multiple standards consists in choosing from a given series of a sample that differs significantly from standard samples representing the product in several forms.

rank method.

When using this method, the taster is asked to rank randomly submitted encoded samples in order of increasing or decreasing intensity of the evaluated feature. The method can be used in assessing the quality of products, as well as in testing the visual sensitivity of tasters.

In this method, also called ordinal, it is not necessary to orient tasters to any standard or to limit the scale, since the comparison is made directly between samples. The method is simple, fast, and allows a large number of samples to be analyzed simultaneously.

The rank method does not give an idea of ​​the magnitude of the differences between the samples. The results of one test are not compared with the results of another test, because the taster does not compare the sample with any standard. This test is recommended when it is required to isolate samples of greatest interest from a range of products in order to subject them to more accurate analysis by other methods.

Quantitative discrimination methods allow you to quantify the intensity of a particular property. This group includes dilution index and scoring methods.

Dilution index method.

Designed to determine the intensity of odor, taste, color of the product by the maximum dilution.

The method consists in the fact that the liquid product is subjected to a series of increasing dilutions until a concentration is obtained at which individual indicators are not captured organoleptically. The indicator (index) of taste, smell, color is expressed by the number of dilutions or the percentage of the original substance in the solution. For example, the cherry flavor disappears if the juice is diluted with water in the ratio (1:30)...(1:40). The table shows the dilution indices of syrups and tomato concentrate (according to Tilgner and Barilko-Pikelna).

The method for calculating the dilution index includes the determination of two values: the detection threshold and the recognition threshold. The concept of "detection threshold" means the minimum value of the stimulus (stimulus) that causes a barely noticeable sensation that is not defined qualitatively. The threshold of recognition is the minimum value of the stimulus (stimulus) that allows you to identify the received sensation. The higher the dilution index value, the more pronounced the intensity of aroma, taste, color or goodness (in general) of the product.

The method makes it possible to observe the change in one or another stimulus (taste, aromatic, etc.) of the product depending on any factor (production conditions, storage, etc.) and express this change in the form of absolute numbers reflecting the dynamics of the process depending on the impact of this factor.

The scoring method, or points (the second term is more commonly used in domestic literature), allows you to quantify the qualitative characteristics of products and opens up great opportunities for studying the correlation between the organoleptic properties of products and objective parameters measured by instrumental methods.

descriptive methods.

Based on a verbal description of the organoleptic properties of products.

Description organoleptic indicators is given in all standards and other documents that establish requirements for the quality of food raw materials, food and flavoring products, is widely used for identification food products- one of the responsible procedures in commodity examination and certification.

Descriptive analytical methods include profile analysis and a scoring system. The task of descriptive methods is to use precise terminology that does not allow for discrepancies. In the profile and scoring methods, scales are widely used to quantify the qualitative characteristics of products.

profile method.

It is based on the fact that separate taste, olfactory and other stimuli, when combined, give a qualitatively new sensation of deliciousness (flavor) of the product. Identification of the most characteristic elements of taste and smell for a given product allows us to establish the profile of the goodness of the product, as well as to study the influence of various factors (initial raw materials, production modes, packaging, storage conditions, etc.). First, the odor profile is determined, then the taste and texture. The tasting committee checks the profile of the reference sample several times. Chemically pure substances that are key to a given product in terms of smell or taste can also serve as standards. According to the standard, the terminology of sensory signs, the order of appearance and intensity of individual stimuli are specified. Then assess the intensity of sensations in the samples used on a conditional scale. Various scales can be used to assess the intensity of characteristic features.

The results obtained by the profile method and statistically processed can be presented graphically in the form of: profiles of rectangles, profiles of semicircles or in the form of profiles of a full circle.

This method can be used to characterize the profiles of individual product quality indicators: appearance, smell, taste or texture. The most convenient method for assessing the quality of products with a complex characteristic features.

Point method.

Used for differentiated organoleptic analysis by highly qualified tasters. The method allows you to set the levels of partial (for individual indicators) and general (for a set of indicators) quality. The evaluation results are expressed as points on a conditional scale with an increasing sequence of numbers, each of which corresponds to a certain level of a particular quality indicator. When using a scientifically based scoring system and observing other basic requirements, the scoring method allows you to get fairly objective, reliable, well-reproducible results.

In the domestic practice of organoleptic analysis, various principles for constructing scoring scales are known. There are 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 13, 20, 30, 50 and 100-point scales for sensory analysis of food products.

Modern requirements are most fully met by 5-point scales using weighting coefficients (importance, significance) for individual quality indicators.

The weighting coefficients of individual quality indicators of the evaluated products are established by experts using ranking, evaluation or other methods. Sometimes weight coefficients are obtained by calculation.

Scientifically substantiated scoring scales for organoleptic evaluation, developed taking into account the principles outlined, are simple, easy to use and allow for fairly reliable differentiation food products by quality levels. continuation
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