Introduction to Tea

Tea is an IAPSAW
SOUCHONG
TIA

aromatic beverage com

monly prepared by
pouring boiling hot water
over cured leaves of the
Camellia sinensis plant.
After water, tea is the
most widely consumed
beverage in the world
Tea Vs Tisane

• Herbal infusions made in hot water • To invigorate: rosemary,

are called tisanes. Tisanes are rosehip, lemon verbena,
generally made from fresh or peppermint, borage
desiccated plant components such as • To calm: chamomile, lavender,
leaves, flowers, crushed seeds, roots, basil, dill, orange peel
hips, fruit, or stems; and are also • To relieve a sore throat or head
available in tea bags. cold: elderberries, rosehips,
• The plants and herbs used in tisanes peppermint, sage, cayenne
may be selected for either flavor or • To treat a cough: thyme, rose
homeopathic properties, or a petals, eucalyptus, linden,
combination of both. The tisane may licorice
be sweetened if preferred and can be • To sooth an upset stomach:
served either hot or cold, over ice. ginger, peppermint, lemon
balm, chamomile
• To ease a headache: rosemary,
willow bark, peppermint
Tea plants are propagated from seed or by
cutting; it takes about four to 12 years for
a tea plant to bear seed, and about three
years before a new plant is ready for
Harvesting. In addition to a cool climate,
tea plants require at least 127 cm (50
inches) of rainfall a year and prefer acidic
soils.
Many high-quality tea plants are cultivated
at elevations of up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft)
above sea level: at these heights, the
plants grow more slowly and acquire a
better flavour, also the slopes prevent
stagnation of water.
• Only the top 1-2 inches of the mature plant are
picked. These buds and leaves are called "flushes". A
plant will grow a new flush every seven to 15 days
during the growing season, and leaves that are slow in
development always produce better-flavored teas.
• A tea plant will grow into a tree of up to 16 m (52 ft) if
left undisturbed, but cultivated plants are pruned to
waist height for ease of plucking.
• Two principal varieties are used: the China plant
(C. s. sinensis), used for most Chinese, Formosan and
Japanese teas (but not Pu-erh); and the clonal Assam
tea plant (C. s. assamica), used in most Indian and
other teas (but not Darjeeling). Within these botanical
varieties, there are many strains and modern clonal
varieties.
 Origin of Tea
• The first recorded drinking of tea is in China, with the earliest records of tea
consumption dating back to the 10th century BC. It was already a common drink
during the Qin Dynasty (third century BC) and became widely popular during the Tang
Dynasty, when it was spread to Korea and Japan.

• Trade of tea by the Chinese to Western nations in the 19th century spread tea and the
tea plant to numerous locations around the world.
• Tea was imported to Europe during the Portuguese expansion of the 16th century, at
which time it was termed cha. In 1750, tea experts traveled from China to the Azores
Islands, and planted tea, along with jasmines and mallows, to give the tea aroma and
distinction. Both green and black tea continue to grow in the islands, which are the
main suppliers to continental Portugal.
• Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II, took the tea habit to Great
Britain around 1660, but until the 19th century, tea was not as widely consumed in
Britain as it is today. Tea had become an everyday beverage for all levels of society by
the late 19th century, but it was first consumed as a luxury item on special occasions.
 Leaf grades
• Smaller the leaf, the more
expensive the tea

Sounchon^
2nd
• Higher grades relate to Pekoe (P) which simply
means that only whole leaves have been used.
• Souchong: Round leaf, with pale liquid.

• Pekoe: Shorter leaves than orange pekoe and

not as wiry; the liquid generally has more color.
• OP - Orange Pekoe - large leaves, slightly thinner, youngest leaves
on the branch but picked without the bud.
• The word "pekoe," which is used in grading black teas, is a
corruption of the Chinese word meaning "silver-haired." This
refers to the silvery down found on especially young tea
leaves.
• "Orange" probably comes from the Dutch royal family, House
of Orange. Long, thin, wiry leaves which sometimes contain
bud leaf; light-or pale-colored liquid. Orange pekoe is simply a
size; the term does not indicate flavor or quality.
• OP - Flowery Orange Pekoe - 'flowery'
does not refer to any flower but to the
'tips' and unopened leaf buds that are
included in this tea.
• GFOP - Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe - whole young tea leaves
of which some have 'tips' in golden colour.
• TGFOP - Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe - higher quality
than previous one thanks to larger amount of golden 'tips'
included.
• FTGFOP - Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe -
the best quality tea consisting of youngest leaves with 'tips' and
leaf buds.
• SFTGFOP - Special Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe -
highest existing grade used for the best of the best.
 Broken Grades
• Smaller, broken leaves; comprise about 80 percent of the total crop. They make a
darker, stronger tea than the leaf grades; only kind used in tea bags.
• Broken Orange Pekoe: BOP - Broken Orange Pekoe - small whole leaves or broken
large leaves of OP. It is known as medium grading in this classification. Thanks to
smaller surface these tea leaves infuse faster than whole leaf varieties.
• FBOP - Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe - higher grade than BOP as containing 'tips' and
unopened buds.
• Broken Pekoe: Slightly larger than broken orange pekoe, with somewhat less color;
useful as a filler in a blend.
• Broken Pekoe Souchong: A little larger than broken pekoe; also used as a filler.
• Fannings: Much smaller than broken pekoe Souchong; main virtues are quick brewing
and good color.
• Dust: The smallest grade; useful for a quick-brewing, strong cup of tea;only used in
blends of similar-sized leaf, generally for catering purposes.
Tea manufacturing process
Leaves and Buds Leaves
Tea (Camellia Sinensis) Processing Chart
 Manufacturing process of black tea
The orthodox method followed in South Asia
has the following steps:
1. Plucking, sorting, grading
2. Withering
3. Rolling
4. Fermentation
5. Firing
 Plucking
• After maturation of the plant, the
plucking is done. The pluckers
gather the top two leaves and the
bud. Picking can be manual or
mechanical. Approximately 40
kilos of tea leaves are plucked in
the first shift.
 Withering
After plucking, all the tea leaves
are gathered at one place and
sent for the withering process.
Here, tea leaves were spread on a
perforated rack for 14- 18 hours
or till the moisture content comes
down to 50%. Today leaves are
sent to withering rooms and dried
in 8-12 hours by blowing dry
warm air
 Rolling
• Rolling is done with the help of press
spindles or rollers where the green leaves
are cut open and the released cell fluid
reacts with the oxygen in the air.

• This process takes 30 minutes each and is

repeated 3 times. The damp and lumpy
darkened leaves are scattered with the help
of a shaking or sieving machine. • CTC -
Method (= Crushing – Tearing – Curling) •
The leaves are then torn in specially
constructed thorn drums and the stems and
leaf ribs are separated.
 Fermentation
• The oxidation and fermentation process
already starts with the rolling. The leaves
are spread out on large boards in 10-15 cm
thick layers in a special room with a room
temperature of 40°C for 2/3 hours and
additionally sprinkled with water.
• Thereby, the leaf takes up its
copper-red to brown colour and starts
to unfold its unique aroma which can
be found again, when the tea is
infused..
 Firing

• The leaves are transported through dryers

on metal conveyor belts. The tea is dried
for approximately 20 minutes with hot
air of 80-90°C which makes the cell fluid
stick to the leaves and gives it its dark
brown to black colour. The final humidity
of the leaves is between 5-6%. Leaves
are then packed and sent for sale.
 Sorting/Grading
Leaf (SFTGFOP1, FTGFOP1,
The finished tea is then sorted TGFOP1, GFOP, FOP) = 6%
into common grades via
mechanical jarring sieves. A small leaf (FP, PEKOE) = 20%
good, high-yielding production
has the following results large Broken (FBOP) = 15%
/qualities:
S (=Super) F (=Finest) T (=Tippy) feine Broken (GFBOP, GBOP)
G (= Golden) F (= Flowery) O 20%
(=Orange) P (=Pekoe) F
(=Flowery) P (=Pekoe)G Fannings (BOPF, OF) + Dust
(=Golden) F (=Flowery) B (PD); both grades are for tea
(=Broken) O (=Orange) P bags only = 39%
(=Pekoe).BO (=Orange) P
(=Pekoe) F (=Fannings)
(=Broken)
ORGANIC BLACK TEA
 Production Green Tea: China
• 1) Plucking
• The gren tea leaves are mainly plucked by women, thanks to their delicate hands, who are
wearing a basket or linen over their shoulder in which they are collecting the leaves. The rule „two
leaves and the bud" is strictly followed. The plucked leaves are examined on the collection point
and weighed before they are transported to the tea factory. Here, the supplied amounts are
weighed again and registered before the actual tea production is started.
• 2) Withering
• Good qualties are spread out on laths which are covered with jute, wire or nylon nets and placed
out in the sun to wither. The withering time takes, depending on the weather and humidity
content of the leaf, between 1418 hours. Normal qualities are spread on large sieves for the
withering process. Huge ventilators blow air from below through the leaf layers. 30% of the still
thick, immalleable leaf's humidity is reduced during the withering process.
• 3) Heating
• Now, the leaves are heated for 10 minutes with 280°C in wok-like, cast-iron
pans. The leaves are pressed against the hot surface and turned. Sometimes,
also larger, automatic drums are used in this process.
Due to the impact of the heat, the plant's own enzymes are converted. An
oxidation can no longer take place and, hence, the green colour and the
rather fresh or herb taste are preserved.
• 4) Rolling
• In a so-calle rolling machine, the tea leaves are put in betwee two rotating
metal plates. This process takes approximately 15 minutes.
• 5) Drying
• Subsequently, the leaves are put into special dryers. Here, there are two
turning discs which are heated to 160°C.
 Production Green Tea: Japan
• Nowadays, the process of green tea distribution in Japan is
almost entirely automated. The process is somewhat more
complicated than that of the Chinese. It comprises the
following steps:
• 1) Withering
• The withering reduces approximately 30% of the humidity
content of the leaf within a time of 4-12 hours.
• 2) Steaming
• The leaves are now moved through a turning drum. Hot
steam is added. After about 2 minutes, the leaves are
extracted again. The amount of steam is the deciding factor in
this step. Too much spoils the leaves and too little initiates the
onset of the fermentation.
• 5) Drying
• A further drying sequence follows. The leaves are
brought into contact with hot air for approximately 30
minutes in order to dry them further.
• 6) Polishing
• In some factories, the leaves are now polished. This is
done via pressing the leaves against a hot plate. This
makes the leaves very flat and glowing. However, this
step is not vital.
• 7) Drying
• The leaves are now dried a final time for about 20-30
minutes with a temperature of 60°C. The finished green
tea contains a rest humidity of ca. 3-4%.
 Special kind of tea blends
• English Breakfast tea is a traditional blend of teas originating from Assam, Ceylon and
Kenya. It is one of the most popular blended teas and the most common form of British
tea culture. It was initially known simply as Breakfast Tea, and was popularized by
Queen Victoria.
• English breakfast tea is a black tea blend usually described as full-bodied, robust,
and/or rich, and blended to go well
with milk and sugar, in a style traditionally associated with a hearty English breakfast.
• The black teas included in the blend vary, with Assam, Ceylon and Kenyan teas
predominating, and Keemun sometimes included in more expensive blends. Common
brands of English breakfast tea include Twinings, Dilmah, Taylors of Harrogate, Ahmad
Tea, Qualitea, Darvilles of Windsor and supermarket brands.
• Irish Breakfast tea is a full-bodied, brisk, malty brew.
It is a blend of several black teas: most often Assam
teas and, less often, other types of black tea.
• Irish brands Lyons, Barry's, Nambarrie's, and Punjana
are heavily weighted toward Assam. Most commonly,
Irish Breakfast tea is drunk with milk, but some prefer
to drink it
straight or with lemon.
• Earl grey: blend of Indian and china teas and bergamot oils. It is light and delicately
scented. Bergamot is a pear-shaped orange and the oil is extracted from the rind.
• Assam: strong, recuperative tea.
• Darjeeling: Flavor of muscatel. Can be drunk with lemon or milk.
• Jasmine: China tea mixed with scented jasmine flavours. Best drunk with a slice of
lemon.
• Lady Londonderry's mixture: A special blend of , Indian and Formosa teas.
• Green gunpowder: China tea with curled leaves, which looks like gunpowder.
• Lapsang souchong: A distinctive china tea with a tarry taste; quite pungent.
• Tisanes: Teas that have a herbal base, eg.- jasmine and chamomile.
Green tea
• • Leaves undergo less
processing. Withering and
fermentation are omitted.
Leaves are first steamed to
prevent any change in colour. It
is rolled and dried. The
beverage has a greenish yellow
colour and is bitter. It is
favoured mainly by the
Japanese and Chinese.
Oolong tea
• * Oolong is a traditional
Chinese tea (Camellia
sinensis) produced through
a unique process including
withering under the strong
sun and oxidation before
curling and twisting.
• The degree of fermentation
can range from 8% to 85%
depending on the variety
and production style. This
tea category is especially
popular with Chinese tea
connoisseurs .
White tea
• Lightly oxidized tea of the
Chinese Camellia sinensis plant
grown and harvested primarily in
China,
the mostly in
Fujian province
• The leaves and buds are
allowed to wither in natural
sunlight before they are lightly
processed
preventto
oxidation or further
tea processing.
• The name "white tea" derives
from the fine silvery-white hairs on
the unopened buds of the tea
plant, which gives the plant a
whitish appearance.
Yellow tea
• • This tea is processed in a similar manner
to green tea, but instead of immediate
drying after fixation, it is stacked, covered,
and gently heated in a humid
environment. This initiates oxidation in
• the chlorophyll of the leaves through
non-enzymatic and non-microbial means,
which results in a yellowish or
greenish-yellow colour.
Indian tea culture-Chai drinking
•"Chai" is CTC(Crush, Tear, Curl) tea with milk
and sugar copiously drunk through the day and
offered to guests across India. Mamri tea is a
specific type of Assam tea that has been cured in
a special way that creates granules as opposed
to "leaf" tea. It is inexpensive and the tea most
often used in India.
•Masala chai (literally "mixed-spice tea") is
made by brewing a strong Assam tea with a
mixture of aromatic Indian spices, herbs and
milk.
THE CATEGORIES OF TEA
CAMELLIA SINENSIS
Japanese tea culture
• Tea (ocha) is one of the most common
beverages in Japan and is an important part
of Japanese food culture and tea ceremony.
Green tea is served everywhere and at any
time of the day, in cups without a handle and
is never drunken with sugar or milk. The
most polite way of drinking green tea is to
hold the cup with one hand and support it
from below with the other hand. Matcha is a
bitter green tea made out of tea leaf powder,
used in tea ceremony.
English tea culture

Afternoon Tea is a social event

governed by etiquette and
accompanied by light sandwiches and
cakes, the "Devonshire cream tea"
accompanied with scones and clotted
cream is well known . Tea is poured in
the cup first, allowing the milk to be
added to suit the drinker's taste.
Offering tea is considered polite.
Russian tea culture
•Tea is drunk out of glasses in Russia. In the
homes of the wealthy these glasses are held in
silver holders (podstakannik).

•Water is heated in a samovar, the cylinder is

filled with live coals, and keeps the water boiling
hot. Hot water to heat the pot is first put in and
then poured out; dry tea is then put in, boiling
water poured over it; after which the pot is
placed on top of the samovar.

•Tea is served with lemon, accompanied by

jams, pastries and confections.
Moroccan tea culture (Atai)
• Moroccan-style green tea with
mint is now commonly served all
through North Africa. Just like in
most of teadrinking countries
tea here is served all through the
day. Tea is something to be
served to guests, and it is
impolite to refuse it.