ISO 18449:2021

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 18449
First edition
2021-05
Green tea — Vocabulary
Thé vert — Vocabulaire
Reference number
©
ISO 2021
© ISO 2021
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ii © ISO 2021 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
3.1 Classification of green tea . 1
3.2 Dry leaf . 2
3.2.1 Appearance . 2
3.2.2 Colour . 5
3.3 Quality of liquor . 6
3.3.1 Taste . 6
3.3.2 Colour of liquor . 8
3.4 Infused leaf . 9
3.4.1 Appearance . 9
3.4.2 Aroma .10
Foreword
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electrotechnical standardization.
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described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
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iso/ foreword .html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 34, Food products, Subcommittee SC 8,
Tea.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www .iso .org/ members .html.
iv © ISO 2021 – All rights reserved

Introduction
Tea is grown and manufactured in numerous countries around the world and is blended or drunk in
many more. Green tea is produced using fresh tea leaves, which can be from more than one garden
or region. There are many factors that impact the flavour of green tea, including the water used for
brewing, the preparation method of the liquor and individual tastes.
The two International Standards for black tea, which provide a vocabulary and requirements, ISO 6078
and ISO 3720, respectively, were first published in the 1980s and are still used today, with the latter
having been revised several times. They have played an important role in improving the global black
tea trade.
Currently, an increasing number of consumers enjoy drinking green tea not only for its impact on health,
but also for its special appearance and flavour. ISO 11287 provides the requirements for green tea, and
this document provides the accompanying vocabulary. It has been developed primarily for use by the
tea trade, to enable clear and open communication, and also to ensure that consumers are not misled.
The quality of green tea is usually assessed by professional tea tasters, whose judgement is based
on their experience of tea evaluation, the conditions of the producing area and the preferences of
the consuming country. Five factors are considered when evaluating the quality of green tea: the
appearance of the dry tea leaf (such as shape, colour, cleanliness and evenness), the appearance and the
odour of the infused leaf, and the colour and the taste of the tea liquor. Usually, a chemical analysis of
tea is undertaken only when it is specifically requested or abnormal characteristics are exhibited.
This document comprises a selection of terms used in the tea trade all over the world, covering not only
the processing of green tea but also the essential aspects of assessing green tea for commerce.
Many of the terms in current use for green tea are synonymous or very similar in meaning, and
considerable divergences in usage exist.
Accordingly, this document aims to establish recognized definitions for the terms, and thus eliminate
differences in usage, and also to encourage a reduction in the number of terms used overall.
The terms are classified as follows:
— classification of green tea (see 3.1);
— dry leaf:
— appearance (see 3.2.1);
— colour (see 3.2.2);
— quality of liquor:
— taste (see 3.3.1);
— colour of liquor (see 3.3.2);
— infused leaf:
— appearance (see 3.4.1);
— aroma (see 3.4.2).
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 18449:2021(E)
Green tea — Vocabulary
1 Scope
This document defines terms for classifying and assessing green tea for commerce.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1 Classification of green tea
3.1.1
green tea
tea derived solely and exclusively, and produced, from the leaves, buds and tender stems of the species
Camellia sinensis (Linnaeus) O. Kuntze, known to be suitable for making tea for consumption as a
beverage
Note 1 to entry: The processing of green tea consists of two parts: first, manufacturing and then refining. In
the first, tea is manufactured through withering, fixation, shaping (rolling or others) and drying. In the refining
process, the products are made by mixing, sifting, stalk extraction and fanning, etc.
3.1.1.1
pan-fired green tea
green tea whose drying process after rolling is through a hot machine to achieve further shaping and
final dryness
3.1.1.1.1
ball-shaped pan-fired green tea
green tea manufactured with a special process for rolling up the leaf tightly and making green tea ball-
shaped
3.1.1.1.2
long-shaped pan-fired green tea
long-shaped fired green tea with a long strip appearance manufactured with a special process of
twisting
3.1.1.1.3
flat-shaped pan-fired green tea
pan-fried green tea manufactured with a special process for flattening leaf and making green tea flat
3.1.1.2
roasted green tea
green tea whose final drying is by hot air
3.1.1.3
sun-dried green tea
green tea dried in moderate sunlight
3.1.1.4
steamed green tea
green tea whose enzymes are inactivated and fixed by steaming
3.2 Dry leaf
3.2.1 Appearance
3.2.1.1
bent
dry leaf that is not straight with slightly curved
3.2.1.2
bird tongue-like
small and flat buds similar to the tongue of a tit
3.2.1.3
blister
swelling on the surface of dry leaf caused by too rapid removal of moisture during manufacturing
3.2.1.4
blunt
dry leaf with no sharp tip
3.2.1.5
bold
large and open leaf
3.2.1.6
clean and neat
evenly sorted without any stalk, fibre or extraneous matter
3.2.1.7
coarse
containing an abnormal amount of old and rough leaves
3.2.1.8
consistent
consisting of leaf with the same grade and comprising pieces of approximately equal size
3.2.1.9
curly
rolled leaf with a curled appearance
3.2.1.10
dusty
containing an abnormal amount of small tea particles and/or dust
3.2.1.11
fannings
predominantly broken smaller leaf particles
3.2.1.12
fibrous
containing a noticeable amount of shredded stalks and fibres
2 © ISO 2021 – All rights reserved

3.2.1.13
flaky
hard flat leaf due to rolling with withered hard or coarse leaf
3.2.1.14
flat
dry leaf spreading out on a single plane
3.2.1.15
grape-nutty
rolled into balls or granules of equal size during the manufacturing process
3.2.1.16
hairy
containing a noticeable amount of thin hair
3.2.1.17
inconsistent
improperly sorted with different sized leaves
3.2.1.18
loose
not tightly curled or rolled
3.2.1.19
lump
loose granular tea with dull yellow colour
Note 1 to entry: It is usually manufactured using coarse leaves.
3.2.1.20
narrow
small size in width
Note 1 to entry: Applicable principally to flat-shaped tea.
3.2.1.21
needle
long and thin similar to the leaf of an evergreen pine tree
3.2.1.22
open
not curled but unfolded
3.2.1.23
orchid-like
flowerlike shape with one bud and two leaves, pliable nature
3.2.1.24
refined
uniform in colour, size and texture
Note 1 to entry: This is not limited to quality attributes.
3.2.1.25
rough
irregular and coarse appearance
3.2.1.26
rounded piece
abnormal amount of small rolled ball-shaped leaves similar to rope
3.2.1.27
shotty
very tightly rolled similar to gunpowder
3.2.1.28
short and broken
containing a noticeable amount of small pieces and short strips
3.2.1.29
small
less than normal of the grade
3.2.1.30
smooth
flat, even and bright
3.2.1.31
spiral
curved and twisted
3.2.1.32
stalky
containing an abnormal amount of stalks
3.2.1.33
straight
even and not bent
Note 1 to entry: Opposite to bent (3.2.1.1).
3.2.1.34
sturdy
robust, tender and heavy
3.2.1.35
swallow’s tail
similar to the tail of a swallow with an angle between bud and leaf
3.2.1.36
tadpole shape
round with a tail at one end
3.2.1.37
tight
rolled firmly during manufacturing
Note 1 to entry: Opposite to loose (3.2.1.18).
3.2.1.38
wiry
rolled tightly with a noticeable amount of tips
3.2.1.39
tips
tight leaf with buds or shoots
3.2.1.40
tippy
containing noticeably high levels of buds
4 © ISO 2021 – All rights reserved

3.2.2 Colour
3.2.2.1
brown
undesirable umber leaf colour, due to bad manufacturing
Note 1 to entry: It is also applicable to the colour of infused leaf.
3.2.2.2
black
blackish
dark
undesirable colour due to aeration not being stopped in-process
3.2.2.3
bright
glossy
shiny, light reflecting surface
Note 1 to entry: One of the desirable characteristics of tea. Opposite to dull (3.2.2.5).
3.2.2.4
deep green
dark and vivid green colour
Note 1 to entry: It is also applicable to the colour of infused leaf.
3.2.2.5
dull
dim in colour
Note 1 to entry: Opposite to bright (3.2.2.3).
3.2.2.6
dull green
undesirable green colour of dry leaf without
...