Tea Tips
What is tea?
Tea is a drink made by infusing leaves of the tea plant ( Camellia sinensis, or Thea sinensis) in hot water. The name 'tea' is used to refer to the leaves themselves. It is also the name of a mid-to-late afternoon meal in the British Isles and associated countries, at which tea (the drink) is served along with various foods.
What are the different kinds of tea?
It is estimated that there are 3 000 different varieties of tea grown in more than 31 countries! The three main categories are green, black, and oolong. All three kinds are made from the same plant species and vary due to different processing methods. Black teas undergo several hours of oxidation during their preparation, oolongs receive less oxidation, while green teas are not oxidised at all. (Oxidation refers to the combination of a substance with oxygen). There are many different varieties within these three main categories. Herbal teas are made from leaves of other plants
How is tea produced?
The first step in tea production is the harvest. Tea leaves are generally hand-picked. This labour-intensive task needs to be undertaken in order to harvest quality tea leaves for the manufacture of quality tea, as this allows for the collection of quality leaves over poor quality leaves.
Tea manufacture
The collection process differs for black, green and oolong teas. The basic steps in the production of black tea involve withering, rolling, oxidation and firing. First, the leaves are spread out in the open (preferably in the shade) until they wither and become limp. This is done so that they can be rolled without breaking.
The tea leaves are then rolled using a machine (this task is rarely done by hand). Rolling helps mix together a variety of chemicals found naturally within the leaves, enhancing oxidation. After rolling, the clumped leaves are broken up and set to oxidise. Oxidation, which starts during rolling, is allowed to proceed for a predetermined amount of time, depending on the variety of the leaf. Longer oxidation usually produces a more pungent tea with less flavour. The leaves are then heated, or ‘fired’, to end the oxidation process and dehydrate them so that they can be stored.
Oolong is produced using a similar procedure as black tea, except that the leaves are oxidised for a shorter period.
Green tea is not oxidised at all. Some varieties are not even withered, but are simply harvested, fired, and shipped out.
