OUR DARJEELING PLANTATION SITS ON THE FOOT OF THE HIMALAYAS, 4,000 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL. AT THIS ALTITUDE, LOW OXYGEN LEVELS SLOW THE TEA BUSH GROWTH, PRODUCING DELICATE, EXQUISITELY FLAVOURED LEAVES
At The Organic Tea Project, we pluck (not pick) our tea leaves by hand rather than by machine. Machine-picking cuts away the tops of the bush indiscriminately, and the resulting yield includes more stalk and other larger leaves. Stalky tea results in a more fibrous woody character, typically prevalent in lower quality teas, iced teas and tea bags.
On the plantation, our masterful pluckers take great care to gather only two leaves and a bud at a time. This method best maintains the health of the bush and encourages the richest subsequent flushes throughout the year.
THE JOURNEY
Unlike most teas on the market which are sent to tea brokers, sit in warehouses and spend a lot of time in big dark tea chests before finding their way into your tea cup, The Organic Tea Project’s leaves live life in the fast lane. By no means neglecting quality in favour of speed, we just don’t believe in wasting time.
Our tea leaves are plucked, made into black or green tea and transported directly to the packing facility in Cochin, India, where they are packaged and shipped all over the world. Consequently, our brews are the freshest on the market, propelling you into a lifetime of tea snobbery. (You have been warned.)
THE ORGANIC TEA PROJECT’S LEAVES LIVE LIFE IN THE FAST LANE.
STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS OF TEA MANUFACTURE
PLUCKING
In general, there are 2 flushes per year, early spring and early summer. Autumn/winter pickings are less common although can have up to 4 or 5 during the year depending on climate.
WITHERING
Tea leaves begin to wilt straight after picking with the onset of enzymatic oxidation. Withering is the first stage in removing excess water from the leaves and is done by laying them out on mats or trays in the sun or in a breezy room. Leaves loose about a quarter of their water content during withering, as well as breaking down the leaf proteins, which is important for the eventual taste of the tea.
3 | PROCESSING
(Disruption) Otherwise called leaf maceration. The tea is bruised or torn in order to promote or quicken oxidation. There are various methods depending on region/area i.e. shaking/tossing in a bamboo tray/tumbling in baskets/kneading, rolling, crushing, tearing by machine. This process further breaks down the leaf structure and releases more water content which aids in the change of the tea taste.
4 | OXIDATION
(Fermentation) The leaves are then left in a climate controlled room where they turn darker. This process breaks down the chlorophyll and the tannins are released. The tea producer can control when to stop the oxidation as this is dependant on the desired qualities in the final tea. For light Oolongs oxidation can be 5-40%, darker Oolongs 60-70%, and Black tea is 100% oxidised. Oxidation is very important in the formation of taste and aroma which give tea its liquor colour, strength and briskness. Under or over oxidation can result in grassy (under) or thick winey (over) flavours.
5 | ROLLING
(Shaping) The damp tea leaves are rolled either by hand or machine which causes tea to wrap around itself. Rolling action also causes more juices, oil and sap to ooze out, therefore, enhancing the taste of the tea. Strips of tea can be formed into various shapes (spirals, pellets, balls, cones, bricks). With Oolong the strips of tea leaf are rolled into spheres or half spheres, done by placing damp leaves into cloth bags which are kneaded.
6 | DRYING
(Finishing) Done to ‘finish’ the tea for sale. Can be done a number of ways - panning, sunning, airdrying or baking (most common). Drying is responsible for many new flavour compounds, particularly important in green tea.
7 | AGING
(Curing) Not always required but some teas need additional ageing/second fermentation or baking to reach drinking potential e.g. green tea pu'erh has a bitter and harsh taste until 2nd fermentation when it becomes sweet and mellow. Oolong can benefit from ageing if fired over charcoal. Flavoured teas at this stage are given aromas.
8 | SORTING
(Grading) Teas are passed through sorting machines that use meshes of varying sizes. CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl) teas pass through fibre extractors to remove excessive fibres.