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Free Tea quiz: 80 trivia questions and answers — green, black, matcha & oolong. Easy to hard, with explained answers. No sign-up.
Start this quiz →🖨️ Printable version (20 questions + answers)
From Japanese chado to Turkish çay, this quiz explores tea rituals and varieties from around the world. A fun way to test your tea knowledge.
This quiz currently has 80 questions, ranging from easy to hard, available in French, English and Spanish when the Spanish translation is available.
Warm up before the quiz with these 16 trivia questions and their explained answers: click a question to reveal the answer.
Answer: China. Legend has it that in 2737 BC, leaves from a wild tea tree fell by chance into Emperor Shennong's boiling water, thus inventing tea.
Answer: Green tea. Green tea is heated quickly after harvesting (by steam in Japan, by dry heat in China) to stop all oxidation, preserving its green colour and antioxidants.
Answer: Gunpowder green tea. Moroccan mint tea is prepared with gunpowder green tea (leaves rolled into balls), fresh mint and a generous amount of sugar. Pouring from a height is an art in itself.
Answer: Matricaria chamomilla. German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is a herbaceous plant. Like all herbal infusions, it contains no Camellia sinensis and cannot technically be called 'tea'.
Answer: A chasen. The chasen is a bamboo utensil carved into fine tines, essential for emulsifying matcha powder with hot water and creating a smooth froth.
Answer: Early spring. The first harvest after the winter dormancy (the 'First Flush') yields tender leaves rich in nutrients and complex aromas, highly sought after by collectors.
Answer: George Orwell. He himself admitted that the milk question was 'one of the most controversial points'. The debate still divides the British.
Answer: Thomas Lipton. By cutting out middlemen, he sold good-quality tea cheaply. His slogan promised tea 'direct from the tea garden to the teapot'.
Answer: It increases the L-theanine and chlorophyll content, producing a more umami and sweeter flavour. Deprived of direct light for 2 to 4 weeks before harvest, the tea plant produces more L-theanine (a relaxing amino acid) and chlorophyll at the expense of bitter catechins.
Answer: Catechins (polyphenols, notably EGCG). Catechins, and notably epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), are the main polyphenols in tea. They provide astringency and bitterness, and are also powerful antioxidants.
Answer: An unglazed Yixing clay teapot (zisha). The purple clay teapot from Yixing (Jiangsu province) is microporous: it absorbs the aromas of tea over the years, improving with use. Ideally, one teapot is dedicated to a single type of tea.
Answer: The leaves destined to become matcha, before being ground. Tencha is the raw, shade-grown leaf, dried and stripped of its veins. Once ground between two stone millstones, it becomes the fine powder known as matcha.
Answer: Taiwan. Although China produces it too, Taiwan is globally recognised as the prime destination for high-mountain oolong teas, crafted with artisanal precision.
Answer: Robert Fortune. He brought back thousands of plants and production techniques, allowing Indian tea to compete with China. One of the greatest cases of industrial espionage in history.
Answer: Catherine of Braganza. Married to Charles II in 1662, she reportedly brought tea in her luggage. Portugal then traded with China via Macau.
Answer: ISO 3103. It sets the amount of leaves, the brewing time (six minutes) and even the shape of the cup. It earned the British Standards Institution a spoof 'Ig Nobel' prize in 1999.
64 more questions are waiting for you in the quiz!