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Making the Leaf: The Manufacturing Process
Tea is born on the bush but must be made in the factory. While most herbals need only be dried, the tea of commerce must be transformed. Newly plucked leaves, called "natural leaf," are transported to factory by oxen, donkey, or truck, by aerial ropeway, or on the heads of laborers. In the places where tea is grown there is an aphorism which says, "manufacture starts in the field." Fresh leaf is the raw material of tea manufacture and finished tea the raw material of tea brewing. The quality of our cup depends on the quality and condition of the fresh leaf as it reaches the factory. Only if the right leaves have been plucked, if the extraneous matter has been removed from them, if they were transported quickly and if they were not bruised, can manufacture have the best results. The processes of tea manufacture, by inducing physical and/or chemical changes in the leaf produce the three major types of "finished tea": green tea which is unfermented, oolong tea which is semi-fermented, and black tea which is fully fermented.
An infusion of fresh leaf would be harsh, raw, and thin, its flavor as different from that of green tea as the flavor of maple sap is different from that of maple sugar. An infusion of fresh leaf would resemble not at all the brew we get from steeping any of the fermented teas. It is the primary aim of all tea manufacture to establish the character of the finished tea, the dry leaf, by controlling the degree to which the leaves undergo fermentation. Fermentation oxidizes the leaves and changes their chemistry. In green tea manufacture, fermentation is prevented, the constituents of the natural leaf are mostly conserved, and the character of the finished tea largely reflects that of the leaf from which it is made. In oolong manufacture, partial fermentation results in the development of some essential oil, while some of the naturally occurring oils and tannins remain unchanged. Fully fermented black tea has the highest concentration of essential oil and least resembles the natural leaf.
Tea manufacture must not only change the leaf but also stabilize those changes so that the finished leaf will not spoil. The leaves are thoroughly dried, which preserves the character of finished tea until brewing releases into the cup that balance of flavor, aroma, and stimulation created in manufacture. Drying is accomplished by "withering," and/or "rolling" and "firing," depending on whether fermented or unfermented tea is being made. Rolling not only facilitates the drying of the leaves but also imparts to them their characteristic twist. The twist of the finished leaf determines the rate at which it will infuse when brewed. So manufacture not only establishes the character of finished tea, but also shapes the finished leaf and provides the code by which the delightful attributes of tea are released into the brew in pleasing proportions.
For the spirit of tea we look East, where tea has long been not only a beverage, but also a philosophy and an art. The tea leaves that we brew are the embodiment of eternal change. Experience tea and experience the ever-changing universe. In the manufacture of tea, we see changes both passive and active, positive and negative. In the finished leaf, change is in equilibrium. Lu Yu provided this ancient prescription for manipulating tea: It is steamed, pounded, patted, baked, packed, and re-packed. Centuries later and centuries ago, the first commercial manufacture of tea was begun in China. A look at the old ways evokes in us a feeling of respect for the time, patience, and skill that traditional tea manufacture required.
The leaves were spread about five or six inches thick on bamboo trays in a well-ventilated place. They were attended by a workman or "ching fu" from noon until six o'clock, when they began to exhibit an apple-like fragrance. They were then poured into large bamboo trays and hand tossed 300-400 times. Called to "ching," this operation resulted in oxidation of the leaves and turned their edges red. This slightly fermented leaf was then carried to the Kuo, a shallow iron pan let into the top of a brick stove. The leaf was roasted there and afterward poured onto flat trays to be rolled. The workman manipulated the leaves into twisted shapes by rolling them with his hands against the tray. Thoroughly rolled leaf required that he work his way around the tray at least 300-400 times. Again the leaves were carried to the Kuo and again they were roasted and rolled. This process of rolling and roasting was repeated a third time. With each rolling, fermentation proceeded a little bit more; with each roasting, fermentation was checked. The leaves were then conveyed to the "poey long" (the fire fierce), and turned continually until they were 80 percent dried. Old yellow leaves and stalks were picked out. The leaves were "poeyed" again over a slow fire, turned once, and packed in chests.
Tea manufacture has since been much mechanized and streamlined. Not all the procedures have direct parallels in modern methods, but if the process is less painstaking, it does not require less care and skill.
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Copyright © February 1996