The assessment is still depended on sensual inspection — judging by its appearance, smell and taste by oral examinations, that is, what its color, flavor, size and taste are like, and where do its quality and grade stand, consequently how its price is fixed. Tea assessment masters should possess the full knowledge in the production and processing and equipped with experience in assessment. Such masters should be stationed in every tea-marketing firm in China.

The tea subject to tests are prepared in handful heaps of 3 grams and 5 grams. Each sample is to be brewed for 5 Minutes with boiling water.

The 3-gram sample is used to test the slender leaves. The 5-gram sample is for longer, tougher and compressed tea leaves. In most of the tests, the sample liquor is taken from clean liquor. In testing black broken tea for export, a decent amount of fresh cow milk is added to the liquor, making is “milk laden tea.”