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Tea leaves contain tannins, complex chemical substances that give tea its astringency and dark color.1
Tannins are naturally absorbent and can help absorb odorous bacteria and moisture.—Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 6 Mar. 2026 Tremain’s novel of youthful romantic obsession and painful growing up reminded me in its comic astringency of Muriel Spark, and, in its respect for the roiling emotions of one’s teens and twenties, of Sally Rooney.—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2026 The french fries had a disconcerting astringency, like they’d been dusted in the same stuff that’s put on Hint of Lime Tostitos.—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2025 However, like everything else at this stand, these curds have a slight bitter astringency that may result from unclean frying oil.—Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 26 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for astringency