The process - Leaf to cup

Tea as we drink, is an infusion, made by brewing the dried leaves of a plant called “Camellia sinensis”. The procedure of harvesting green tea leaves is called plucking. This fascinating and highly skilled job has been traditionally done by female workers. As they pass between the rows of tea bushes, only the two leaves and one unopened leaf bud are selected, to ensure the final product is of the required quality. The plucking is normally done every seven to ten days.
     The plucked green leaf should begin the manufacturing process in freshest possible condition, so they are taken by truck to the estate factory. On arrival at the factory the leaf is taken to the upper floors where they are spread on “withering” racks which allow a free current of air to circulate through them until they lose some moisture. In rainy season, controlled withering is some time necessary, where powerful electric fans provide warm air.
       The “withering” process takes about 8 – 10 hours and then leaf is fed in to the rolling machines on the ground floor, which breaks up the cell structure of the leaves and releases the natural juices and enzymes, that gives the tea its characteristic flavour. Another result of the rolling stage is that leaves get twisted.

The next stage is known as “fermentation” which is also called “oxidization”. The rolled and twisted tea leaves are again spread out, on tables in a cool and humid atmosphere, which in up to three hours turns them a coppery brown color through the absorption of oxygen.
     Fermentation is stopped at a precise stage by passing the tea slowly through a hot air chamber. This stage is called “firing”. Now the green leaves have been reduced to about a quarter of their original volume and have turned a familiar black colour.
      In the production of green tea, no oxidization takes place. Here the freshly harvested leaves are subject to heat, either with steam or by heating the pan in to which leaves are placed.
     The final stage of manufacturing is “sifting’ or “sorting” which separates tea in to various grades according to sizes of leaf particles. This is done by sending the dried leaves through a vibrating mesh. These grades have little to do with the quality of tea but they are important when it comes to blending a consistent product for sale to the eventual customer. After sifting, each grade is weighed and packed separately for dispatch to Tea Auction. The main commercial grades produced in Sri Lanka are BOP, FBOP, OP, BOPF, PEKOE, BOP1 etc. Sri Lanka also produces Silver Tips and Golden Tips and other special grades of tea.

Tea, being an agricultural product is greatly influenced by the climatic factors – soil type, temperature, rain, wind conditions etc. Most of these parameters are variable, so quality of tea manufactured from the same garden can differ from day to day. Tea blending is done to cover these seasonal variations of tea manufacturing in a particular estate or origin.

In tea blending process, all characteristics should be matched and the dry leaf particle size has to be compatible. Two teas with very different densities will not blend. The tea blending requires great skill and experience to switch in and out of different origins and keep the finished product appearance and taste the same.

Apart from flavour, colour, strength and other desirable qualities, the final mix in blends must also be of the correct volume for packets and tea bags. Final selections for blends are mixed in the correct proportions in large revolving drums and immediately packed by high-speed automatic machines, in flavour-sealed packages.