By Tarishi Shrivastava
October 17, 2024
Adulteration in tea leaves is a common problem that affects quality and taste. It involves mixing artificial colours, chemicals, or cheaper substances to mimic real tea. The purity of tea leaves is essential for a good cup. Here are some tips to help you identify adulterated tea leaves.
Place a few tea leaves in cold water: dark water indicates that the tea leaves may have artificial colourants.
Rub the tea leaves between your fingers; if they leave a colour stain, it means there are synthetic dyes.
Real tea has a fresh, earthy smell. In case, you smell chemical or soapy smell, the leaves might be adulterated.
Burn a few tea leaves; real tea leaves will give greyish-white ash, but adulterated tea will give black residue.
Rub the leaves on white paper, and a coloured streak may appear, indicating the presence of added colourants.
Check for uniformity in size and texture. Adulterated tea may have twigs, stones or synthetic substances.
Real tea has a natural and balanced taste, if the tea tastes too bitter or artificial, it is impure.