
- HOME >
- How to choose quality tea
Tea tasting practice using Coca Cola and Pepsi
- [2014.09.08] Posted By Akira Hojo
For evaluating the quality of tea, there are 3 important criteria. It is the body, aftertaste and mouth feel. In particular, there are many people who can hardly understand and differentiate the body and aftertaste.
Body and aftertaste is the essential criteria to define the taste
The body and aftertaste is the criteria that is not only used in describing the characteristics of tea, but also used for describing the taste of wine, sake, soup, meat, fish, fruit and any other type of foods and beverages.
Body
The “body” can be substituted by some other expression such as fullness, richness, width, horizontal or spreading flavour on palate. The black tea tastes richer if it is added with milk. It is due to the milk-calcium that drastically increases the body of tea. The pasta cooked with clams tastes very rich thanks to the full-bodied taste. The pasta tastes completely different if it is cooked using clams without shell. The shell of clams is composed by calcium carbonate. It releases calcium ions that increase the body. The pasta or soup that is cooked using only clams without shell tastes very light and thin.
Aftertaste
Aftertaste is the vertical feeling that refers to the taste we felt down the throat. It is substituted by the expression such as depth, softness, lingering taste or flavour, sensation on the throat, clearness or transparency. The tea that has strong aftertaste will give lingering sweetness on our throat and the flavour remains for a long time. In a way, the tea that gives strong aftertaste appeals on our memory thanks to the lingering effect.
If the tea or any food has both body and aftertaste, we feel the taste is three dimensional. It is because of the body that gives the fullness of flavour that spread widely on your palate and its sweetness lingers in your mouth for a long time thanks to the aftertaste.
Coca Cola and Pepsi is one of the best training material for body and aftertaste
Are you able to distinguish the taste profile between Coca Cola and Pepsi? In fact, these two soft drinks are one of the best training material for us to understand the body and the aftertaste. You have to make sure not to use the Coca Cola or Pepsi sold in aluminium can. It spoils both the body and aftertaste.
The taste profile of Coca Cola and Pepsi is completely different. Pepsi gives very strong body, yet almost no aftertaste, while Coca Cola gives very strong aftertaste but very light body. The taste profile in these two drinks is completely opposite. With some practices, you should be able to distinguish the body and aftertaste in tea and other beverages or food as well.
Related Articles
How to get the latest update on HOJO Tea?
1. Follow Twitter, 2. Click "Like" on Facebook, and 3. Subscribe in newsletter. You can have the latest tea news from HOJO Tea.
Subscribe the Newsletter to enjoy the privileges
- You may receive a free sample upon purchase, or you may have the priority to purchase special products. So please remember to subscribe our newsletter as well as the social network.
- New Release of Wu Jia Zhai Raw Pu-erh Tea 2018 Loose
- We have released Wu Jia Zhai Raw Pu-erh Tea. It is a Loose Tea (Mao-cha). This tea was made in 2018 and has been aged for nearly three years. Thanks to the aging, it has developed more distinctive flavour with sweet scent of sugar cane and dried fruits. Sustainable Tea Garden at high altitude of …
- New Release of Tong Mu Shui Xian Black Tea
- We have released very rare black tea, Tong Mu Shui Xian Black Tea. This tea is from Tong Mu Guan in Wuyishan, Fujian Province, China. The tea garden is located at 1000m above sea level, and the tea garden is totally sustainable, the tea trees are grown without pesticide and fertilizer. Tong Mu Shui Xian …
NEW ARTICLES
New Release of Wu Jia Zhai Raw Pu-erh Tea 2018 Loose
- We have released Wu Jia Zhai Raw Pu-erh Tea. It is a Loose Tea (Mao-cha). This tea was made in 2018 and has been aged for nearly three years. Thanks to the aging, it has developed more distinctive flavour with sweet scent of sugar cane and dried fruits. Sustainable Tea Garden at high altitude of …
New Release of Tong Mu Shui Xian Black Tea
- We have released very rare black tea, Tong Mu Shui Xian Black Tea. This tea is from Tong Mu Guan in Wuyishan, Fujian Province, China. The tea garden is located at 1000m above sea level, and the tea garden is totally sustainable, the tea trees are grown without pesticide and fertilizer. Tong Mu Shui Xian …
New Release of Da Xue Shan Wild White Tea 2020
- We have launched Da Xue Shan Wild White Tea 2020, in loose tea. For Malaysia, we release the 200g cake version. This year, we have made major improvements in the raw material, producer, and production method, resulting in a very satisfying quality. However, the production volume is extremely small; it will likely to be sold …
Limited Release of Yunnan 10 Years Vintage Black Tea 2010
- We release 10-year vintage Yunnan black tea. This tea was produced in 2010 and aged in Yunnan for 8 years in aerobic storage. We bought this year in 2018, and it has been aged in Japan and Malaysia for two years in anoxic storage condition. The production area is very near to the Myanmar border …
Da Xue Shan Wild Raw Pu-erh Tea 2020 was Released
- We have launched 2020 wild puerh tea. This wild tea is from Da Xue Shan located in Lincang of Yunnan Province, China. We started to introduce Da Xue Shan Wild tea since 2010. But 2020 version was completely renewed. This year, we changed the source of tea, the producers and the production method too. Why …
High Mountain Purple Black Tea 2020 is Now Available
- We have released High Mountain Purple Black Tea 2020. It was unexpectedly well-made this year. I am truly delighted by its outcome. About Purple Tea The High Mountain Purple tea is made from the specific type of tea, the locals called it “Zi Cha”, that means purple tea in English. It is a rare tea …
We have released the Flower of Ancient Tea Tree
- We have released the Flower of Ancient Tea Tree. This is the fresh tea flowers hand-picked from old tea trees of ancient tea gardens. The tea garden is totally sustainable, with natural farming practice and no pesticide or fertilizer at all. The tea garden is located at altitude of 2000-2200m in the western part of …
Limited Sales of Single Tree Raw Pu-erh,White and Black tea 2019
- We have released Single Tree Pu-erh Tea 2019. Literally, the single tree tea is harvested and processed only from one single tea tree. Each single tree tea is sourced from the high mountain in west Lincang, the altitude is at around 2000-2200m. Thick Taste of Old Tree We selected particularly old tea tree for making …
Lapsang Souchong Qi Zhong from Tong Mu Guan in Wuyi Mountain
- We have released Lapsang Souchong Qi Zhong. It is the most premium Lapsang Souchong in HOJO’s line-up. This tea is from Tong Mu Guan in Wuyi Mountain. Qi Zhong is seed-grown tea tree, and tea garden is totally sustainable. Unlike ordinary black tea, this unique black tea gives strong fruity flavor reminiscent of peaches and …
Amazing difference between seedling tea and cultivated tea
- Do you know that tea is divided into two groups: cultivated tea propagated by cuttings, and seedling tea grown from seed?There is actually a big difference between cultivated tea and seedling tea. What is Cultivar? The cultivated tea refers to tea with a name of specific cultivar, such as Yabukita, Benifuki, Okumidori, Tie Guan Yin, …
Shop Info

Address:Lot No. T-215, 3rd Floor, The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-2287-4537
Business Hour: 10am to 10pm
Category
- New Arrival at HOJO Online Shop
- Featured Articles
- Newsletter
- Types of Tea
- Origin of Tea
- Teapot and Tea Equipment
- Tea Column
- How to enjoy tea
- Tea Processing
- How to choose quality tea
- Tea constituents and functional effect
- Safety of Tea
- Foods
- Tea Business Operation
- Hobby and Outdoor Activity
- Ranking of Tea
- Video
- FAQ
- Media Release
Profile

- AKIRA HOJO
- I invite you to experience my tea selections.I was born in Nagano, Japan. In university, I studied agricultural chemistry, and I have the master degree in food science. I worked in Japanese food industry for 10 years. I involved in R&D, QC and QA. As a factory manager, I implemented ISO9000 series and managed the factory.
- The Art of Tea Magazine
- We posted the article on “The Art of Tea Magazine No.9, the magazine is published in Taiwan. We featured some scientific view about the tetsubin
- New Straits Times
- The Malaysian National Newspaper, New Straits Times featured HOJO Tea on 17-Oct-2007.