Tea Production

A tea plant must grow for 5 years before the leaves should be harvested. At 30 years, the plant must be pruned so that new stems will grow out from the root. Tea picking is hard work and usually a skilled picker will pick around 27-36kg of green leaf per day.

Tea is made from the younger delicate leaves at the tip of the plant. The difference between the different types of teas is based on the methods used to process the leaves. This involves roasting and fermentation. Fermentation causes the green leaves to become reddish-brown in colour and the longer the fermentation the darker the colour.

Black Tea

Methods vary depending on the region, but the process involves 4 basic steps. They are, withering, rolling, fermenting and firing.
The plucked leaves are spread out to wither, they are then rolled which results in the release of chemicals within the leaf that give it its final colour and taste. The rolled tea leaves are then broken up and spread out in a cool, humid atmosphere for 3 - 5 hours to absorb oxygen, so fermentation can occur. This results in the leaf changing colour from green to coppery red. The oxidized leaves are then fired which stops the natural decomposition and it is now when the particles turn black and acquire their distinctive aroma.

Oolong Tea

These are semi-fermented teas, produced in China. The leaves must not be picked too soon and must be processed immediately after picking. They are wilted in direct sunlight and shaken to lightly bruise the edges of the leaves. They are then spread out to dry until the surface of the leaf turns yellow. This partial fermentation is then halted by firing. Oolongs are always whole leaf teas and not broken by rolling.

Green Tea

These teas undergo little or no fermentation. The picked leaves are allowed to dry and are then heat treated to stop any fermentation. In China this can still be done by traditional methods. The leaves are spread out in a thin layer on trays and exposed to the sun for an hour or two. The leaves are then placed into hot roasting pans and shaken, allowing the natural moisture to evaporate. After 4 - 5 minites the softened leaves are rolled into balls. The balls are then placed on the hot roasting pans before either to be rolled again or left to dry. After a couple of hours, the leaves turn a dull green and undergo no further change. The leaves are then separated into different sized pieces.
In Japan, freshly picked leaves are steamed, cooled, rolled, twisted and dried until all the moisture has evaporated. Rolling then shapes and styles the leaves before the final drying period. The tea is cooled and then packed.

White Tea

The new buds are picked before they are allowed to open and are withered to allow the natural moisture to evaporate and then dried. The curled up buds have a silvery appearance and give a pale straw coloured liquor. This tea is produced on a very limited scale in China and Sri Lanka.