Tea | The Making of Tea
The making of tea is as interesting and complex as the brew itself. Fragile and tender, tea leaves are carefully hand picked and placed in baskets. Depending on the type of tea, different processes are employed to yield fresh, aromatic flavors.
Withering:
Removes 50%-60% of the leaf’s moisture content, allowing the leaf to be “rolled” without cracking
Rolling:
Breaks down the cellular leaf structure, releasing all the remaining moisture and prepares the tea leaf for the oxidation process
Oxidation:
Oxidation aka “fermentation” changes the leaf’s chemical structure, largely determining the quality, flavor, body, strength and color of the tea. The process takes approximately three hours and ultimately determines the tea’s category
Firing:
Hot air is drawn over the leaves, stopping the oxidation process and reducing the leaf moisture content to the desired level.
