MULTIPLE-INFUSION TEA TASTING RECORD
A home observation sheet, not a laboratory protocol or caffeine test.

SHARED SESSION HEADER
Date / session label:
Tea / supplier / package or lot:
Product instructions and where found:
Original dry leaf amount and unit:
Water source:
Vessel / strainer / lid:
Preheating routine:
Rinse, if used: water / time / draining / discarded or tasted:
Timer start and stop convention:
Question for this session:

REPEAT THIS ROW FOR EACH INFUSION
Infusion number:
New water added and unit:
Temperature and unit:
Measurement location and time, or kettle setting only:
Contact time, including unknown:
Draining routine and observed duration, if known:
Gap since prior decant and how the leaves were held:
Tasting order and comfortable cooling stage:
Additions, including none:
Own aroma / taste / drying sensation / body / finish:
Associations actually noticed, including none:
Missed measurements or other changes:
Next action:

Same leaves have a changed history after each infusion. A fresh first-infusion
comparison uses separate fresh portions, with other planned conditions kept
as steady as practical. Do not substitute wet leaf mass for original dry dose.

FICTIONAL SETUP EXAMPLE, NOT A TESTED RECIPE OR TASTING RESULT
Original dry portion: fictional 4 g. No rinse in this fictional setup.
Start timer at first water contact; stop at start of decanting.
1 | 100 mL; 85°C kettle setting only | 30 s; decant about 6 s | First water; no rinse in this fictional setup | Leave observations blank until tasting.
2 | 100 mL; 85°C kettle setting only | 40 s; decant about 6 s | About 2 min after prior decant; lid off | Leave observations blank until tasting.
3 | 100 mL; 85°C kettle setting only | 50 s; decant time not measured | About 3 min after prior decant; lid off | Leave observations blank until tasting.
All cup observations intentionally blank. Use your product directions.

FICTIONAL DESCRIPTOR WORDING PROMPTS
Aroma association | “Reminds me of toasted bread.” | An association is your description, not proof that bread or a particular chemical is present.
Bitterness | “A bitter edge while sipping.” | Keep taste separate from a drying mouth sensation.
Drying sensation | “My mouth feels gently drying after the sip.” | Do not automatically call every drying sensation bitter.
Body | “Feels light to me” or “more substantial than cup 1.” | Use the same meaning across your own rows; no score is required.
Finish | “The sensation fades quickly after swallowing.” | Describe what you noticed without inventing a duration.
Uncertainty | “No clear association” or “no clear difference.” | Blank or uncertain observations are better than copied flavor claims.

SIX FICTIONAL CASES AND EXPLANATIONS
Case 1: You shorten infusion 2 after infusion 1, using the same leaves. Does this isolate the effect of shorter time?
Answer: No. The leaves also have a different infusion history.
Explanation: Record both cups as successive infusions. Their descriptive comparison can be useful, but time is not the only changed condition. For a first-infusion time comparison, use separate fresh portions of the same tea with the other planned conditions kept steady.

Case 2: The kettle reads 85°C, but you have not measured water in the vessel. What belongs in the temperature field?
Answer: 85°C kettle setting; water at the leaves not measured.
Explanation: A setting and a contact-temperature measurement are different observations. Keep the unit and the measurement basis together. Do not add an invented cooling correction or claim that every infusion reached the same measured temperature.

Case 3: The first pour leaves liquid in the serving cup, and you add infusion 2 to it. Can the combined drink be recorded as the taste of infusion 2 alone?
Answer: No. Label it as a mixture of infusions 1 and 2.
Explanation: The serving cup now contains both drinks. You can describe the mixture you actually tasted, but you cannot assign that description to the later infusion alone. Use identifiable separate samples if separate cup observations are the question.

Case 4: A package says “orchid and honey,” but you do not notice either association. Must those words appear in your cup notes?
Answer: No. Keep supplier wording separate from your observations.
Explanation: Write what you notice, including no clear association. A vendor description can be a prompt, not an observed result. Do not invent a matching flavor to make the worksheet look complete; another drinker may use different descriptions.

Case 5: You forgot to start the timer for infusion 3 and then answered a phone call before the next pour. How should you record the row?
Answer: Mark the contact time unknown and record the interruption.
Explanation: Keep known values and write an approximate gap only if you can honestly estimate it. Do not infer precise timing from an earlier row. The changed history remains visible, and the row can still explain why you would repeat the session with a simpler routine.

Case 6: The original dry portion was 4 g. The wet leaves later weigh more. Is their wet weight a replacement dry dose for infusion 2?
Answer: No. Retain the original 4 g dry dose in the shared header.
Explanation: Wet leaf mass includes a different state of the leaves and cannot silently replace the original dry amount. Later rows use the same original portion and record new water and handling. If you add fresh leaves, explicitly record that change rather than calling it the unchanged sequence.