Retronasal Breathing in Tea Tasting
First of all → https://www.google.com/search?q=retronasal+breathing
Ok.
Aromatics beyond taste. A quiet tool for deeper tea appreciation.
A subtle but profound technique to sense more with less.
① Why It Matters
You don’t taste tea with your tongue alone.
Flavor ≠ taste
Taste = sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami
Flavor = taste + aroma
Aroma makes up ~80% of what we perceive as flavor.
Retronasal breathing unlocks that.
When you exhale through your nose after swallowing,
aromatic compounds rise from within—
through the nasopharynx—
and meet the olfactory receptors.
This isn’t about sniffing.
It’s aroma, from the inside out.
② How to Do It
Step 1 – Sip slowly. Let the tea sit in your mouth.
Step 2 – Swallow gently, without rushing.
Step 3 – Keep your mouth closed. Exhale softly through your nose.
Notice what arises—fruit, wood, charcoal, flowers.
Just observe.
③ My Teacher’s Wisdom
“To feel, to sense, not to think.”
Don’t chase tasting notes.
Taste is already sensing, already feeling.
You’re already describing how the tea makes you feel.
If you drink yancha and say,
“Yeah, that’s warming my body, feeling pleasant,”
you’re doing fine.
It could also be cooling, energizing, grounding, disorienting—etc.
That soft lift in your chest,
the warmth in your throat,
the echo in your lungs—
That’s where after-aromatics,
throat resonance,
and to some extent, huigan live.
And finally, how these sensations make you feel.
Retronasal breathing helps you notice.
It goes from your nose to your brain.
Your brain is part of the body, by the way.
More on this in: Feeling, Sensing, and the Body.
Let the tea pass.
Let the breath carry what remains.
④ It’s a Practice
You might not notice anything at first.
That’s okay.
Try again—with the same tea, the same method.
Or with a different tea, in a different mood.
You’re not testing. You’re listening.
And with time, the layers unfold—
like hearing new instruments in a song you’ve always known.
It’s not skill.
It’s attention.
⑤ Visual Aid
Red = Orthonasal (sniffing)
Blue = Retronasal (exhaling through nose)
Source: ResearchGate
Source: Tea: History, Terroirs, Varieties
⑥ Final Note
No pressure. No overthinking.
Just sip, breathe, exhale.
The tea will meet you there.
Don’t need to explain.
Just need to feel it.
⑦ Web References
For further reading and deeper study
Wikipedia – Retronasal Smell
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retronasal_smell
Wine Factor Blog – Retronasal Wine Tasting: How to Taste Like a Pro
https://blog.winefactor.com/retronasal-wine-tasting/
Innovinum – Retronasal Olfaction: How We Really Smell Flavors
https://www.innovinum.com/blog/retronasal-olfaction
SlideShare – Wine Tasting and the Science of Smell
https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/wine-tasting-smell/61368821