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Our Process
Tea manufacture is the process of transformation of freshly plucked green tea leaves to black tea.
Grow Organic
Family owned
Eco-Friendly Packages
Sustainably Sourced
Tea Plucking
Leaf manufacture begins from the time the leaf is plucked in the field. The plucking of the soft two leaves and the bud is generally undertaken by well trained women. The leaf is sent to the factories from the fields three to four times a day.
Withering
It takes 10 hours to 14 hours for the physical and chemical changes to take place, and bring the leaf to a soft and rubbery condition suitable for the next stage of manufacture. Withering, is a process, where conditioned air is circulated between the leaves, initially to remove any surface moisture and thereafter to concentrate and breakdown the tea juices.
Rolling
Rolling is the process by which the leaf is twisted and the cell walls ruptured to bring the juices to the surface of the leaf. Modern rolling machines have deep jacket, a pressure cap to apply pressure on the leaf, and the table itself has battens and a cone at the center.
Fermentation
Fermentation is the oxidization of the enzymes in the juices, which bring out the flavour, strength and the colour of the liquors and infusions. Fermentations is generally carried out on glass or tiled tables. The degree of fermentation is judged by the colour and aroma.
Drying
The drying process takes about 20 to 25 minutes and the initial temperature is about 120 Degrees F(50 Degrees C). The moisture content of the teas when drying is completed is approximately 2% to 3% and the coppery brown fermented tea particles are now back.
Grading (Sifting)
The different grades of tea are identified nomenclature. On completion of the grading, teas are stored in airtight bins of boxes. The sifting is carried out on a series of grading and cleaning machines. It takes several trays of different mesh sizes, to separate the tea particles.
Packing / Despatching
When sufficient quantities of teas are collected, the are either packed in plywood tea chests of multi-walled aluminum craft paper lined pager sacks and despatched to the auctions or packed into tea packs. Teas are very hygroscopic and rapidly absorb moisture.