The Camellia Sinensis Tea Flavor Wheel

The Camellia Sinensis Flavour Wheel was first developed by our team back in 2008 as we put all the material together for the original French edition of our book ‘TEA History, Terroirs, Varieties.  It is a tea specific version of similar flavour wheels used in the worlds of wine, scotch and other forms of tasting.

The flavour wheel is a simple tool that helps us categorize the olfactory characteristics of a tea during a tasting.  Start in the central zone of the wheel with your first impressions.  Moving progressively outwards to refine the vocabulary you use to relate your experience.

Aside from helping us focus, the flavour wheel also presents us with the fascinating concept of aromatic crossover from one style of tea to another…..Enjoy!