Terms describing dry leaf

Black

A black appearance is desirable preferably with bloom.

Blackish

A satisfactory appearance for CTC type teas. Denotes careful sorting.

Bloom

A sign of good manufacture and sorting (where reduction of leaf has taken place before firing) a sheen that has not been lost through over-handling or over-sorting.

Bold

Particles of leaf which are too large for the particular grade.

Brown

A brown appearance in CTC type teas that normally indicates overly harsh treatment of leaf.

Chesty

Tea tainted by inferior or unseasoned packing materials.

Chunky

A very large broken-leaf tea.

Clean

Leaf that is free from fibre, dirt and all extraneous matter.

Crepy

Leaf with a crimped appearance common to larger grade broken-leaf teas s