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Harvesting Tea
To ensure the highest
quality teas, the newest
“two leaves and a bud” of
tea plants are plucked by
hand. This practice of fine
plucking produces the best
tasting tea but low yields –
around two to three thousand
leaves only translates into
a pound of finished product.
This repeated picking of the
young leaves and buds
promotes new growth
throughout the year.
Depending upon the origin,
bushes are plucked anywhere
from three to twelve times a
year. Plucking is often
referred to as “flushes."
Transforming Leaves into
Tea
The major types of tea
including black, oolong,
green and white all
originate from the Camellia
sinensis tea bush. The
differences among the teas
result only from the way the
plucked leaves are
processed.
 Black
Teas
Making black tea involves
withering, rolling,
oxidation and drying.
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Withering -
Workers start picking
early in the day and
usually return to the
processing factory
around mid-day. These
freshly harvested leaves
are spread out on racks
and left to wither for
14 to 24 hours. During
this withering process,
the leaves become soft
and pliable loosing much
of their water weight
due to evaporation.
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Rolling - Next,
from the racks leaves
are fed into rolling
machinery that break up
the cellular structure
and release the natural
enzymes of the leaf. An
elliptical motion
created by large rollers
exerts just enough
pressure to roll and
twist the leaf without
causing heat damage. The
resulting product is a
green, pungent pile of
twisted tea leaves.
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Oxidation - After
the rolling, the leaves
are transferred to a
cool, humid location in
the factory to begin the
oxidation process, also
commonly known as the
fermentation process.
Over the next two to
three hours, the leaves
release their enzymatic
juices and oxidize upon
exposure to air. A
chemical reaction occurs
whereby the mixing of
polyphenols and pectin
with oxygen and enzymes
cause the leaves to turn
black and also give
black tea its
characteristic flavor.
Determining how long to
oxidize the leaves
involve considerable
expertise and different
styles of black tea
demand varying time for
fermentation.
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Drying - Upon the
reaching the optimal
oxidation level, the
leaves are fired or
dried to stop the
fermentation. In
essence, the drying
seals in that particular
tea’s characteristic
flavor. Placed on large
trays or on a conveyor
belt, the tea travels
through an oven chamber
that halts oxidation and
reduces the leaves water
content to an ideal 2%. |
 Oolong
Teas
As partially fermented
teas, oolongs can be thought
as teas
sitting halfway
between black and green tea.
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Withering - After
plucking usually three
to four leaves and a
bud, oolongs like black
teas undergo withering,
but for a shorter period
of time.
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Oxidation - Upon
wilting, workers shake
the leaves in bamboo
baskets resulting in
slight bruising and
tearing of the leaf. As
the leaf is exposed to
air, and the enzymes
react with the oxygen,
it turns darker in
color.
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Drying - The
leaves are then fired to
stop oxidation. Again,
the duration of
oxidation will depend
upon the style of
oolong. Traditional
Chinese oolong is
usually fermented up to
a 10-15% level whereas a
Taiwanese style oolong
might be 70% oxidized.
Interestingly enough, an
oolong can exhibit more
green or black tea
characteristics
depending upon the
length of oxidation.
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 Green
Teas
Green tea differs from
black tea in that after
plucking, fresh leaves
are
immediately steamed or
pan-fired to stop any
oxidation activity.
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Steaming or Pan-fired
- In Japan, green tea is
steamed, and in China,
leaves are pan-fired in
a wok or heated drum,
both processes resulting
in soft and pliable
leaves. With the active
enzymes locked inside,
the leaf is ready for
rolling.
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Rolling - Whether
done by hand or with
machines, rolling
determines the unique
size and shape of the
green tea leaf. A tea
growing location will
dictate the style of
rolled tea – resulting
shapes include long thin
leaves, tight balls,
flat natural leaf and
gently twisted green
teas. The beauty of a
tea and the taste
profile is affected by
the style and tradition
of rolling.
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Drying - Finally,
a gentle heating or
firing afterwards allow
the leaves to dry,
preserving their fresh
"green" characteristics.
At the end of the
process, the leave’s
moisture content should
be about four percent.
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 White
Teas
The least processed of
all tea, the youngest new
buds are freshly
plucked,
and then air or steamed dry.
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