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| Tea leaves & Flower |
There is a few steps in processing Camellia Sinensis leaves into tea.
Plucking
Tea leaves and flushes, which includes a terminal bud and two young leaves, are picked from Camellia sinensis bushes typically twice a year
Withering/ Wilting
Withering is used to remove excess water from the leaves and allows a very slight amount of oxidation.
Withering is used to remove excess water from the leaves and allows a very slight amount of oxidation.
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| Harvester from one of Malaysian Tea Plantation |
Oxidation / Fermentation
The leaves are left on their own in a climate-controlled room where they turn progressively darker. Oxidation is highly important in the formation of many taste and aroma compounds, which give a tea its liquor color, strength, and briskness.
Fixation / Kill-green
Done to stop the tea leaf oxidation at a desired level. This process is accomplished by moderately heating tea leaves, thus deactivating their oxidation enzymes and removing unwanted scents in the leaves, without damaging the flavor of the tea.
Sweltering / Yellowing
Unique to yellow teas, warm and damp tea leaves from after kill-green are allowed to be lightly heated in a closed container, which causes the previously green leaves to turn yellow.
Rolling / Shaping
The damp tea leaves are then rolled to be formed into wrinkled strips, by hand or using a rolling machine which causes the tea to wrap around itself. This rolling action also causes some of the sap, essential oils, and juices inside the leaves to ooze out, which further enhances the taste of the tea.
Drying
This can be done in a myriad of ways including panning, sunning, air drying, or baking. Baking is usually the most common. Great care must be taken to not over-cook the leaves. The drying of the produced tea is responsible for many new flavor compounds particularly important in green teas.
Fixation / Kill-green
Done to stop the tea leaf oxidation at a desired level. This process is accomplished by moderately heating tea leaves, thus deactivating their oxidation enzymes and removing unwanted scents in the leaves, without damaging the flavor of the tea.
Sweltering / Yellowing
Unique to yellow teas, warm and damp tea leaves from after kill-green are allowed to be lightly heated in a closed container, which causes the previously green leaves to turn yellow.
Rolling / Shaping
The damp tea leaves are then rolled to be formed into wrinkled strips, by hand or using a rolling machine which causes the tea to wrap around itself. This rolling action also causes some of the sap, essential oils, and juices inside the leaves to ooze out, which further enhances the taste of the tea.
Drying
This can be done in a myriad of ways including panning, sunning, air drying, or baking. Baking is usually the most common. Great care must be taken to not over-cook the leaves. The drying of the produced tea is responsible for many new flavor compounds particularly important in green teas.
