Astringency
A puckering, drying feel in the mouth, from tannins in spices like sumac, clove and tamarind skins.
Also: drying sensation, kashaya, tannic taste
Astringency is not a taste but a mouthfeel: a rough, drying sensation caused by tannins binding to saliva proteins. Cloves, sumac, black tea, unripe fruit, pomegranate rind and some barks are astringent. Skilled cooks use it for balance, because a little astringency cuts through fat in rich dishes, as sumac does on kebabs and Indian anardana in chole. Too much dries and puckers the tongue. In Ayurveda, kashaya, astringent, counts as one of the six rasas, and betel leaf with areca nut is a classic example. Tea masala simmered too long turns astringent, which is why the order and length of cooking matter.