Sensory testing (which is what is what I and my company specialize in) is a large component of tea sourcing and absolutely part of the process.
To illustrate this:
Just as coffee has "cupping", a method of preparation used for sourcing and evaluation but which no consumer would ever use to prepare coffee for enjoyment....
Commodity tea has this ISO standard (also called cupping).
The reason that this method, over a method that results in a better tasting cup is used, is because commodity tea is selected via flaw minimization and consistency testing.
To illustrate this:
Just as coffee has "cupping", a method of preparation used for sourcing and evaluation but which no consumer would ever use to prepare coffee for enjoyment....
Commodity tea has this ISO standard (also called cupping).
The reason that this method, over a method that results in a better tasting cup is used, is because commodity tea is selected via flaw minimization and consistency testing.