te·a·tion·ar·y
A dictionary of tea. A running record of leaves, brews, and the words we use to talk about them — collected one entry at a time from tea traditions around the world.
Teationary started as a simple idea: treat tea the way a dictionary treats language — one entry, one origin, one flavour note at a time. Every tea and tasting term gets the same quiet treatment, whether it's a delicate Japanese gyokuro or the malt of an Assam breakfast blend.
The site (and the Instagram page it grew out of) went quiet for a while. We're bringing it back — slowly, one entry at a time — with no plans to sell anything just yet. For now, this is simply a place to read, learn, and build a small, honest reference for tea lovers.
If you have a tea or a tasting term you think belongs in the dictionary, we'd love to hear about it.
The tea dictionary
Entries on teas and the vocabulary used to describe them, drawn from tea traditions around the world.
Gyokuro
A shade-grown Japanese green tea, prized for its deep umami sweetness and low astringency. Literally “jade dew.”
Pu-erh
A fermented and aged dark tea from Yunnan, pressed into cakes and valued for earthy, evolving flavour over years.
Masala Chai
Black tea simmered with milk and warming spices — cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, clove — into a spiced, sweet brew.
Rooibos
A naturally caffeine-free herbal infusion from the “red bush” plant, with a sweet, woody, slightly vanilla note.
Yerba Mate
A traditional South American infusion, earthy and grassy, often shared communally through a shared gourd and straw.
Oolong
A partially oxidised tea sitting between green and black, spanning floral, creamy, and roasted expressions.
Earl Grey
Black tea scented with oil of bergamot — a citrus-bright English blend named for a 19th-century prime minister.
Maghrebi Mint Tea
Gunpowder green tea steeped with fresh mint and sugar, poured from height to build a light foam on top.
Astringency
The dry, puckering sensation on the tongue, often from tannins. A hint of it is a mark of a well-made tea.
Liquor
The brewed tea itself — its colour and appearance in the cup, as distinct from the dry leaf.
Brisk
A lively, refreshing quality in the mouth — the opposite of a flat or dull-tasting cup.
Muscatel
A grape-like sweetness prized in fine Darjeeling teas, developed through a specific insect-bitten leaf process.
The journal lives on Instagram
New entries, tastings, and tea notes are shared first on @teationaryofficial.
stay steeped.
Teationary is just getting started again. Get new dictionary entries by email as they're added, or follow along day-to-day on Instagram.