Tea (3 page)

Without withering, tea leaves produce an unpleasant, bitter taste. For hundreds of years, workers tested the progress of the withering process by simply squeezing a handful of leaves to see how stiffor limp they felt. Today, more accurate measurements are available in the form of NIR (near infrared) machines that measure the moisture content instantaneously, taking ten readings per second.

The desired moisture content varies from one growing region to another and depends on the characteristics of the leaves growing in a particular area. For example, tea masters of the Assam region of India prefer a soft withering, with a moisture content between
65
and
75
percent. In Sri Lanka, tea masters prefer a hard wither (a drier leaf), between
50
and
60
percent moisture.

2
.
Rolling.
After withering, the leaves are rolled, either by machine or (increasingly rare) by hand. This serves to twist the leaves and crush them, releasing the sap and exposing it to oxygen, which stimulates fermentation.

In some tea-processing plants, the rolled leaves are then sifted through various grades of screening to sort them by size. The larger leaf particles may be rolled a second or third time to twist and break them suffciently for the next stage. Rolling takes approximately two hours.

3
.
Oxidation.
This is the most important part of the processing procedure because it is during this stage that the flavor and value of the tea are determined. The oxidation (fermentation) stage also plays the greatest role in creating different categories of tea. For example, black tea is fully oxidized, while green and white teas are not oxidized at all.

The rolled leaves are placed on trays and spread to a thickness of three to six centimeters (one to two inches), then left in a cool, damp place to oxidize for one to three hours. Chemical reactions within the leaf cause it to heat. It is crucial to stop oxidation at the height of this reaction to obtain the best flavor from the leaves. If the temperatures get too high, the leaves taste burned; if too low, the fermentation process stops, resulting in a metallic after-taste. During oxidation, the color of the leaves changes from green to copper, and the ultimate aroma, flavor, and color of the tea are determined.

4
.
Drying, or desiccation.
The oxidized leaves are dried with hot air in a large drier and on a conveyer belt, at temperatures between
85
and
88
degrees Celsius (
185
to
190
.
4
degrees Fahrenheit). This serves to quickly stop the fermentation process, and the copper-colored leaves turn the characteristic dark brown or black. Drying time, too, is critical because if the leaves retain too much moisture (more than
12
percent), they are subject to mold. If they are allowed to dry out too much (less than
2
–
3
percent humidity), they produce tea that tastes burned or flavorless.

5
.
Grading, or sorting.
The dried tea leaves are separated into different leaf grades, depending on the size of the leaf particles. The different categories include whole leaf, broken leaf, fannings, and dust. In general, whole leaf (which includes the tender tips and buds) produces the finest-quality tea, while fannings and dust are generally used to make the quick-brewing teas most often used in tea bags.

Some combination of these processes is used to make each of the four main types of tea. Within each type of tea, there are countless named varieties and brands. Blends are made by combining different varieties of the same type of tea. For example, a “breakfast blend” combines several different kinds of black tea. The processing stages for the four main varieties are:

Black tea.
The leaves undergo all five processing stages and are completely oxidized.

Oolong tea.
The leaves are withered and rolled, then partially oxidized (anywhere from
10
to
80
percent, but usually around
60
percent), heated, and sorted.

Green tea.
Buds and leaves are withered, then rolled. The smaller and more tightly rolled, the more robust the flavor found in the tea. (For example, the type of green tea called gunpowder is composed of tiny pellets of tightly rolled leaves, and is quite robust.) After rolling, the leaves are immediately heated to prevent oxidation. In China, the leaves are heated by either roasting or pan-frying. In Japan, the leaves are generally steamed. Both processes result in green tea, but the flavors are different. (Consider the difference in taste between a steamed onion and a roasted one.) Japanese green tea tastes herbaceous or vegetal. China green tea has a more citrus or smoky flavor.

Matcha
is a green tea that has been ground to a powder, as it was in the fifteenth century. It is still used in the Japanese tea ceremony.

White tea.
This is the least processed of all teas. The Tea Council of the USA is spearheading efforts to develop an international standard definition for white tea. They have suggested the following: Tea made from either the first flush bud or the bud and one leaf, either air-dried or directly warm fired. (When “warmfired” the leaves are heated by mechanical means.) Leaves that make white tea undergo no withering, fermentation, or rolling and produce a liquid that is either pale yellow or clear. The best-known white teas are Silver Needles and White Peony, although others are quickly gaining recognition.

CTC tea, called an unorthodox tea, takes its name from the mechanical “crush, tear, and curl” process used to get cheap, uniform, but inferior tea. Tea derived from this process is generally used for blends or tea bags, and it brews quickly, in two to three minutes. CTC is often viewed as the best tea for making chai. The CTC market is very strong; some estimates state that more than
80
percent of India's tea production is CTC.

GRADES OF TEA

The four grades of black tea (whole leaf, broken leaf, fannings, and dust) vary in quality. The latter two are considered inferior and are used to bulk up more expensive teas, or to make tea bags or instant powdered teas.

Not all tea products display the grade of tea, but when they do, the following will help you determine the quality of tea you are purchasing.

Whole Leaf

OP
, or orange pekoe (pronounced peck-oh), is the most basic, or first grade, of whole-leaf black tea. The word “pekoe” comes from the Chinese word
pak-ho
, meaning the fine hair of a newborn infant, and it indicated the fine hairs or down found on the young tea buds. “Orange” does not refer to color or flavor, but to the Netherlands' House of Orange. First used by Dutch merchants, the term was meant to convey the idea of noble quality. These leaves are rolled lengthwise and mixed with the golden tips of buds. The more buds, the more expensive the tea. OP usually has few buds included.

FOP
, or flowery orange pekoe, is made from tender young leaves with the addition of a certain number of “tips,” the ends of the young leaves, which are considered the highest-quality part of the leaf.

GFOP
, golden flower orange pekoe, is considered a high-quality grade.

FTGFOP
, or finest tippy golden flowery orange pekoe, is made using mostly tips. It makes a clear, light-amber-colored brew of very high quality.

SFTGFOP
, or special finest tippy golden flowery orange pekoe, the highest grade, has a large quantity of leaves with golden tips. This is the highest-quality FOP.

P
, pekoe, consists of the shorter leaves without tips, and is of low to medium quality.