Definition of "Astringency"

27 Replies
Ubacat said

I agree with most here. I’ve always thought of astringency as a “bite”. It’s not a bad thing in some teas. I know I’ve had some shengs, greens, or teas with lemon that has that bite. It can be quite enjoyable when it’s only mild. I think I would prefer astringency to bitter.

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nannuoshan said

To me, bitterness is a taste. In particular is the taste opposite to sweetness. It can be neutralized sweetening, for instance with sugar. Coffee, especially espresso, is a typical bitter beverage.

Astringency, other than bitterness, cause contraction of the tissues in the mouth, in particular at the side, on the back of the cheeks. It is, somehow related to sourness, rather than to bitterness. I drank very bitter espresso and like my coffee black, but never felt any “tissue contraction” in the mount while drinking coffee.

Astringency, like bitterness, can be both pleasant and unpleasant. When the level of astringency is just right and palate-stimulating, the tea is brisk.

CTC black tea are often bitter.
A properly brewed Chinese green tea is often astringent (for example Bi Luo Chun), but can turn bitter if steeped at too high temperature or for too long time.
High-quality, properly-yellowed yellow tea is for me a good example of “brisk tea”. It still has some sourness from the green (first step of production are similar), but gained body and softened its astringency while yellowing.

Said that, all is relative! My taste is different than yours. The complexity and absence of objectivity in tea are among the aspects I like the most. The more you learn, the more you have to learn!

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McNally said

I found this thread very helpful – helpful enough to warrant a comment on it. I’m new to posting tea reviews and I want to be able to express things in a “proper” way. TeaNecromancer hit the nail on the head in my mind with the word “hops”. I recently tasted my first sheng and that IPA sort of hops taste suits my experience exactly. I was tasting tart dried cranberries, but hops – yes, hops too! I’m a fan of IPA beers so I’m surprised this didn’t pop into my mind. Thanks Necro for helping me add another word to my tea vocabulary!

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These comments really have spelled it all out already: bitterness is a taste aspect, astringency is a feel-related aspect (with scent based flavors a third different thing). I’ll mention a couple of interesting additional references though, starting with a one hour video on tasting by Barb Stuckey, an expert and writer in that field:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hz_IhlgTu0

To get to a deeper take on astringency (which really isn’t actually helpful, completely academic stuff, which probably wouldn’t help with identifying experience or description) one would need to turn to a different type of content (this is an old work, 1993, so there have probably been clearer summaries written in the 24 years since, and this use of the term “flavor” in the citation is probably not seen as accurate per the modern standard). It seems clear enough to me that regarding astringency as just one thing that only varies in degree probably either misses some complexity or bypasses other related feel-oriented range of similar experience. As a description for most purposes that simpler form works though.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/14962742_Oral_astringency_A_tactile_component_of_flavor

The psychophysical, chemical and physiological bases of the oral sensation of astringency are discussed in an effort to clarify the nature of this enigmatic sensation. It is argued that, despite recent data from animal studies that suggest it is a taste sensation mediated by the chorda tympani nerve, astringency arises primarily from increases in friction between mucosal surfaces. Evidence is discussed that supports the view that oral astringency results primarily from the precipitation of salivary mucoproteins, which impairs the natural lubrication of oral surfaces. The ensuing rise in friction induces sensations of dryness and roughness which, although subtle at first, can grow in magnitude over repeated exposures. These changes in the surface texture of the mouth are an important component of the ‘flavor’ of common foods and beverages such as fruits, nuts, teas and coffee.

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