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What is tea cupping?
Tea cupping is the sensory evaluation of a lot under fixed conditions so that one cup can be compared with another. ISO 3103 defines the method — a set weight of leaf, a set volume of freshly boiled water, a set brewing time in a standard lidded pot — precisely so that the variable is the tea, not the brewing. In an export quality system a lot is cupped against the approved sample for the contract, and a lot that does not match does not ship under that grade.
| Element | What is judged |
|---|---|
| Dry leaf | Make, colour, uniformity, broken content, foreign matter |
| Liquor | Colour, brightness, clarity |
| Aroma | Character and cleanliness; absence of off-notes such as must or smoke where not specified |
| Taste | Strength, body, astringency, sweetness, finish |
| Infused leaf | Colour and evenness — the clearest evidence of how the lot was processed |
Guide
Why standardise the brew?
ISO 3103 standardises the brew because tea reads differently at every ratio, temperature and time. Fixing ratio, temperature and time means a cupper in Fujian and a buyer in Casablanca judging the same lot are judging the same cup. Approved-sample cupping is also how blending to a fixed cup across shipments is verified.
What does cupping not do?
Cupping does not measure pesticide residue, moisture or ash. Those are laboratory results and belong on the certificate of analysis and the residue report. Cupping decides whether the lot is the tea that was agreed; the laboratory decides whether it can legally enter the destination.
Frequently asked
What is ISO 3103?
The international standard for preparing tea liquor for sensory tests — fixed leaf weight, water volume, brewing time and vessel — so that cuppings are comparable.
Does cupping replace laboratory testing?
No. Cupping judges match to the approved sample; the laboratory measures moisture, ash and residues.
Is organic tea evaluated differently in a cupping?
No. Cupping judges what is in the cup under the same fixed conditions for every sample. Organic status is checked on paper — the certificate, its scope and the shipment's import certificate — and a residue test checks what is in the leaf; none of these can be tasted.
Next step
Turn this into a specification.
Send the destination, the grade and the quantity. ODM Tea answers with the clauses this page describes, filled in.