PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING TEA

The journey of quality tea starts from the lush tropical tea gardens where it is
picked fresh. The botanical name of the tea plant is “Camellia Sinensis” and
it is cultivated at a variety of tea gardens from China to Kenya.

CTC tea manufacturing follows a number of exacting steps, briefly

described as follows:

Plucking – the journey begins

Pluckers are specially trained to only select 2 leaves and a bud, plucking is
maintained at about 7 days intervals, the plucked leaves are collected in
baskets, taking care of the leaves that are not crushed by overloading which
then make up the finest tea blends across the globe. The best quality teas are
grown at tea gardens at an altitude of 5000 to 7000 feet above the sea level
for optimum taste.

Withering- the next step

During the withering process, the leaf is induced to loose moisture to prepare
it for further processing. Normally this is carried out by spreading tea leaves
thinly on troughs through which warm air is circulated by fans. The average
length of withering time depends greatly on the quality of the leaf peculiar to
the region wheares(?) being grown

Cut Tear Curl (CTC)- the process

When satisfactory withering has taken place, the leaf is ready for rolling.
This process uses grooves rollers that twist the leaves, break them up and
extract = take out the juices. The CTC process of rolling is a comparatively
rigorous one for the leaf, which is forced through a machine having two steel
rollers. The rollers have grooves which cut leaves as they pass through them.
Leaves pass though 3 to 4 such rollers, getting reduced in size and their cells
are ruptured=broken up(?) to enable fermentation.

The nature of grooves in the CTC rollers determines the gradation of tea;
BP1, PF1, PD or D1 are the main categories. The process delivers much
better, thicker liquor and yields more cups of tea per kg of leaf as compared
to the orthodox type of tea.
Fermentation- building character
Normally the tea ferments or oxidizes from 60 to 100 minutes depending
upon the leaf quality and on the prevailing climatic condition. Low humidity
conditions retard fermentation, hence cool humid condition are essential to
enable larger retention time for fermentation. This produces blacker, grainy
and heavier teas. The character of the tea develops significantly during the
fermentation process.

Drying – ready to be graded

The next process is known as drying. The objective of drying is to i) arrest
fermentation and ii) remove any moisture and produce teas with ideal
qualities. The mass of leaf is exposed to hot air when it passes through a
chamber with perforated moving trays. The temperature of the air blowing
through the chamber is rigorously maintained. It takes 15 to 30 minutes to
dry the leaf, so the enzymes are fully deactivated. After completion of the
drying process, the tea becomes fully black in color.

The teas are then sorted, Graded and packed. Sorting is the operation in
which tea granules are separated into various grades confirming to trade
requirements. The process of sorting has two objectives a) to enhance the
value and b) to impart quality.

The basic sorting procedure follows a set pattern:-

i) While the tea is still relatively warm, it is first passed through the
minimum of four slow speed electrostatic fiber extractors to clean it of
floating fibers.
ii) The next stage is to divide the bulk tea into grades by passing through the
meshes of 24, 20, 16, 10 and 6 to establish the grades.

Storage and Packaging – ready for blending

Tea is a markedly hydroscopic material which mean while cooling and
sorting it absorbs moisture. Before packing tea, the accumulated series of
daily batches of each grade are bulked and mixed to obtain the highest
possible degree of unity. Before packing, tea is passed under powerful
magnets to prevent possible pieces of iron mixing with the tea.

Packing is the process of preserving the product, using cost effective yet the
most appropriate material, taking into account the product properties and the
specific needs of the end user.
Trading- selection and sampling
Tea is sold through private contracts or by auction system. The brokers taste
the tea samples, and set the value according to the market conditions.

Auction Process- the best is selected

The brokers then forward the samples to those companies who are entitled to
operate in the weekly auctions. Catalogues are printed with details of the tea
gardens, grades etc. The complete set of pre-auction samples, along with the
catalogues, are sent to tea companies like Tapal so they can taste, evaluate
and bid on them in the auction.

The teas are sold to auctions to traders

Tea Procurement At Tapal – the choice of experts

The skilled tea tasters at Tapal Tea perform the organoleptic tasting of
nearly 700 cups daily to select the best quality tea for various blends and
procure them in the auction through nominated suppliers. Purchased teas are
transported through containerized shipments from their country of origin to
reach the factory in the best condition possible.
Pluckers are specially trained to only select 2 leaves and a bud, which then
make up the finest tea blends across the globe. The best quality teas are
grown at tea gardens at an altitude of 5000 to 7000 feet above the sea level
for optimum taste.
Withering- the next step
During the withering process, the leaf is induced to loose moisture
substantially to prepare it for further processing. Normally this is carried out
by spreading tea leaves thinly on troughs through which warm air is
circulated by fans. The average length of withering time depends greatly on
the quality of the leaf peculiar to the region.
Cut Tear Curl (CTC)- the process
When satisfactory withering has taken place, the leaf is ready for rolling.
This process twists the leaf, breaks it up and extracts the juices. The CTC
process of rolling is a comparatively rigorous one for the leaf, which is
forced through a machine having two steel rollers. The rollers have grooves
which cut leaves as they pass through them. Leaves pass though 3 to 4 such
rollers, getting reduced in size and their cells are ruptured to enable
fermentation.
Fermentation- building character
Normally the tea ferments or oxidizes from 60 to 100 minutes depending
upon the leaf quality and on the prevailing climatic condition. Low humidity
conditions retard fermentation, hence cool humid condition are essential to
enable larger retention time for fermentation. This produces blacker, grainy
and heavier teas. The character of the tea develops significantly during the
fermentation process.
Drying – ready to be graded
The next process is known as drying. The objective of drying is to i) arrest
fermentation and ii) remove moisture and produce teas with ideal qualities.
The mass of leaf is exposed to hot air when it passes through a chamber with
perforated moving trays. The temperature of the air blowing through the
chamber is rigorously maintained. It takes 15 to 30 minutes to dry the leaf,
so the enzymes are fully deactivated. After completion of the drying process,
the tea becomes fully black in color.
Sorting and Grading – quality is judged
Sorting is the operation in which tea granules are separated into various
grades confirming to trade requirements. The process of sorting has two
objectives a) to enhance the value and b) to impart quality.
Storage and Packaging – ready for blending
Tea is a markedly hydroscopic material which mean while cooling and
sorting it absorbs moisture. Before packing tea, the accumulated series of
daily batches of each grade are bulked and mixed to obtain the highest
possible degree of unity. Before packing, tea is passed under powerful
magnets to prevent possible pieces of iron mixing with the tea.
Packing is the process of preserving the product, using cost effective yet the
most appropriate material, taking into account the product properties and the
specific needs of the end user.