It is the result of amino acid transformation, caused by chemicals from the tea which volatilize when heated. One minute after the tea is put into a warmed pot, the tea scent spills over when the cover is lifted. This is the first right time for you to enjoy the tea fragrance.  

If you enjoy the hobby of making tea with your friends, remember to open the cover after the 1st infusion to let the guests taste the scent of the tea. The sweet scent flowing before you feels like spring water clearing your heat, making you relaxed and happy; like floating in the sky. If tea is from hundred year old trees grown on top of a mountain, this sweet and floating feeling will be strengthened: enjoyable and healthy.

Several Infusions later, the scent gets lighter. There are some teas that smell strong enough, but the tea water taste is not as nice as it should be, known as "non-staining". The tea scent not only smells nice but it tastes sweet and clear on the palate, the site in the mouth for sensing the aroma.  

How to Store Tea

Tea can easily absorb other scents. Puer teas are best kept in paper and Wulong, Green and Red teas should be kept in a jar or pot away from damp and light.

After tea is manufactured, it can gradually become oxidized during storage. It's best to use the tea within three months for freshest taste. Oxidized tea after manufacture can also make tea taste pure and mild. That's the reason why some people intentionally leave the tea for some time.  

Some tea can be maintained for a long time: 5, 10, 20, even 50 years. Old tea tastes quite different from fresh leaves and must not become damp or it may die. The teas that can be stored to become old teas are: Puer tea, Fenghuang Dancong tea, Tiguanyin, Dongding Wulong, Wuyiyan tea and Guangxi Liubao tea.

Canning Tea

The scent of tea seriously degrades when it is stirred many times in conditions of high temperature and humidity. Avoid using a plastic bag to store, and avoid touching tea directly with hands as sweat and body oils can damage the fragrance of tea. Nowadays, in a common tea-shop, they package tea in a big bag when stocking, and then they keep it in big pail or bin, and by the time the customer has bought it and stored it at home, over one third of the scent has been lost.  

For best results, once the tea has been manufactured, instantly sub-package it into smaller packages, such as using 10g or 8g/ aluminum foil bags, until you're ready to make the tea. This is the certain way to keep the scent of tea.