- By Iram Hussain
- Wed, 05 Feb 2025 04:18 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Ways To Check Purity Of Tea Leaves: In India, tea is an integral part of daily life with almost every household starting their day with a steaming cup. However, the growing demand for tea has led to concerns about adulteration and quality. Ensuring the purity of tea leaves is crucial as the prevalence of adulteration in tea and other food ingredients is alarmingly high. Consuming adulterated tea can have severe health implications including digestive problems and allergies.
Therefore, it becomes essential to source high-quality tea leaves from reputable suppliers to safeguard one's health. Here, we've compiled some easy ways to check the purity of tea leaves which you can easily perform at home.
Ways To Check Purity Of Tea Leaves
Colour Test
A simple colour test can help determine the purity of tea leaves. Mix lemon juice and tea leaves in a transparent glass. If the juice turns yellow or green, the tea is likely pure. However, if it changes to orange or another hue, the tea is adulterated, indicating added impurities.
Smell Taste
Pure tea leaves exude a distinct natural aroma characteristic of their type such as floral touch in jasmine tea or malty undertones in Assam tea. A stale or musty smell, however, may signal poor quality, improper storage or contamination, compromising the tea's flavour and overall experience.
Tips to identify adulterated tea leaves (Image Credits: Canva)
Cold Water Test
To identify counterfeit tea leaves, employ the cold water test. Mix two teaspoons of tea leaves into a glass of cold water. Pure tea leaves will gradually release colour while deepening over time. Conversely, fake tea leaves will instantly change colour, revealing their artificial nature and potential adulteration.
Magnet Test
To verify the purity of tea leaves, try the magnet test. Place a small number of tea leaves on a glass plate and gently move a magnet over them. Pure tea leaves won't adhere to the magnet while adulterated leaves will stick, indicating the presence of metallic impurities or added fillers.