How to Taste the Tea Explorers Club Collection: 12 World Teas
By Sancha Tea Boutique | Premium Artisanal Tea Since 1981 | Published: 2026-11-03
Category: ハウツーガイド
A practical tasting order and step-by-step method for the Tea Explorers Club Collection, so you can compare all 12 world teas without overwhelming your palate.
Quick answer
Taste the 12 teas in gentle-to-bold flights rather than in box order: start with the lightest, least spiced blends, then move to fragrant and spiced teas, and finish with the deepest, most assertive ones. Brew small cups, rinse your palate between teas, and keep notes so you can compare rather than just sip.
Why the tasting order matters more than the tea list
A 12-tea collection is a comparison exercise, not a marathon. If you taste a heavily spiced blend before a delicate one, the delicate tea will read as flat even when it is perfectly brewed. Grouping by intensity protects your palate and makes the differences between cultures easier to notice.
The Tea Explorers Club Collection is built around 12 teas inspired by global cultures, so the set intentionally spans a wide range of flavors. That range is the point, but it also means you need a deliberate sequence. Taste three or four teas per sitting rather than all 12 at once.
Set up a fair comparison
Use the same cup size, the same water source, and the same steep time for each tea in a flight. Changing vessels or water between teas introduces variables that have nothing to do with the leaf. A small digital scale and a timer are more useful here than a fancy teapot.
Keep the leaf-to-water ratio consistent within a flight, but adjust it if a tea tastes weak or bitter. The goal is to give each tea its best shot, not to force every tea into one formula.
When to break the order
If a tea is smoked, heavily spiced, or notably astringent, move it to the end of its flight regardless of its position in the box. Strong flavors linger and will mask the next tea. Similarly, if you are tasting with a group, pour smaller cups so everyone can finish and reset before the next tea.
You do not need to taste all 12 in one day. Splitting the collection across three sittings is often more enjoyable and gives you time to revisit a tea that surprised you.
Your step-by-step tasting method
- 1. Sort the 12 teas into three flights: Read the labels and divide the collection into light and floral teas, fragrant and semi-oxidized teas, and spiced or robust teas. If a label is unclear, taste a small sample and assign it based on intensity. Write the flight order down before you brew anything; deciding mid-tasting invites palate fatigue.
- 2. Set a fixed brewing baseline for each flight: Use the same water temperature, leaf amount, and steep time for every tea within a flight. Start with a 3g leaf to 150ml water ratio and a 3-minute steep, then adjust only if a tea is clearly under- or over-extracted. Change one variable at a time, and note the change so you can repeat it.
- 3. Taste in small, cooled sips: Slurp a small amount so the tea reaches the back of your tongue, wait a few seconds, and note the finish. Let the cup cool slightly before the second sip; aromatics often become clearer as the tea cools. If you cannot describe the finish, you likely tasted too little or too much at once.
- 4. Rinse your palate between teas: Take a sip of room-temperature water and a plain cracker or piece of bread between cups. Avoid strongly flavored snacks, coffee, or citrus, which will distort the next tea. A dulled palate is the most common reason tasters mistake a good tea for a weak one.
- 5. Score each tea on three simple lines: For every tea, write one word for aroma, one for body, and one for finish. Do not write paragraphs during the tasting; short notes are easier to compare later. If two teas get identical notes, re-taste them side by side before moving on.
- 6. Re-taste the most surprising tea at the end: After finishing a flight, brew the tea that challenged you most a second time with a slightly shorter steep. Compare the two cups to see whether the first impression was a brewing issue or a genuine preference. A second cup is the fastest way to separate a bad brew from a tea you simply do not like.
Collection details that shape your tasting
- Tea Explorers Club Collection | 12 World Teas Celebration Collection: The Tea Explorers Club Collection includes 12 artisanal teas inspired by global cultures, handcrafted by SANCHA's Master Blenders using freshly harvested tea leaves, herbs, and spices. Because the set spans many styles and flavor profiles, a planned tasting order keeps delicate teas from being overshadowed by spiced or robust blends.
Tea Explorers Club Collection | 12 World Teas Celebration Collection
