Liq·uor

The brewed tea itself — its colour and appearance in the cup, as distinct from the dry leaf.

In tea tasting, “liquor” has nothing to do with alcohol — it simply refers to the brewed liquid in the cup. Professional tasters assess the liquor's colour, clarity, and brightness as a first clue to a tea's quality and how it was processed.

You'll often see liquor discussed alongside the dry leaf and the spent (infused) leaf, since comparing all three tells a fuller story about a tea's grade and freshness than any one alone.