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Processing:
The fresh tea leaves are placed in withering troughs set on wire mesh. Large fans
blow air through the leaves to reduce the moisture content. The leaves must be
evenly spread so that uniform withering occurs.
The leaves must be spread by hand and all lumps or piles removed so that maximum air flow
reaches all the leaves and no heat is generated in the tea.
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about 70% or to a predetermined level depending on the condition of the leaf. For proper withering to occur, the air must be at
the proper temperature. If the leaf is wet, the air is heated slightly for a
short time to help remove excess moisture.
After withering, the
leaves are rolled by large rolling machines to provide a twist to the leaves and to break
the cell walls to expose the inside to oxygen to begin the oxidation process. The
leaves are fed down onto the machines directly from the withering troughs which are
overhead on the second floor. |

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The sifter separates
particles by size. Small leaves which have been rolled successfully the first time
fall to the bottom and then are moved to the next process. The larger particles which fall
off the end go back to be rolled again.
Green teas skip the
fermentation stage and go directly to the drying room. Leaves for black and oolong teas
however, are spread evenly on special raised flat beds to allow fermentation to the
desired degree. Although the process has been traditionally called
"fermentation" it is actually an oxidation process that depends on tea enzymes
reacting to oxygen.
Temperature control is critical. The cooling ducts at the top of the room help
maintain the desired temperature.
The chemical reactions taking place in the leaves directly affect the cup quality and
determine the aroma and briskness of the brew.
Fermentaion must be strictly regulated to produce good tea.
Next, the tea leaves
travel up a conveyor belt to the dryer. They pass through the dryer at controlled
temperature for about 24 minutes or longer if necessary. The goal is to stop the
fermentation process and transform the tea into a stable product.
After drying the tea must cool down before
the sorting and grading process. If the sorting takes place while the
tea is still warm it can lose its character and bloom.
The first step in the process is passing the bulk tea through machine sorters which do
most of the size grading - whole leaf, broken leaf, fannings. They are then hand
graded to further fineness. The tea all comes from the same plant but the grading
separates the leaves by size. Broken leaves and fannings work well in teabags
while whole leaves are reserved mostly for loose tea brewing.
Note the use of bamboo trays and hand
meshes used as part of the hand sorting process after the machine sorting is done.
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