Tea Manufacturing Process - 1

Mr. Palitha C. Arampath

Senior Lecturer 
Dept. of Food Science & Technology
Faculty of Agriculture 
University of Peradeniya 

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 Types of tea
• Black tea – SL., India, Kenya, other
• Green tea – China, Japan
• Oolong tea – some parts of China,
Taiwan
• world production – %
– Black – 78
– Green – 20
– Oolong – 2
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 Brew colour

Black tea Green tea Oolog tea

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 Tea Processing

• Bud – steamed dried – white

• Shoot –
Withered/ rolled/ fermented/ fired – black
(fully) dried
Withered/ bruised/ fermented/ pan-fried - Oolong
shaking (brief) dried
Withered/ pan-fried/ rolled/ dried – green tea
steamed

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 White tea

• Most expensive type of tea

• Pluck – unopened bud covered with silky
white hair
• V. little processing – withering/ steaming
drying (air drying)
• Brews – pale yellow/ light red colour. With
sweet flavour.

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• Contain high amount of Polyphenols, caffeine

• Promote as health drink

– 3 times more antioxidants than green/ black tea

• Cosmetic companies – very interested

– Polyphenols – very effective in removing

free radicals – lead to aging and wrinkles &
sagging skin

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 Silver tips tea

• Silver tips tea , from

SL – 243 clone plucked single

bud – fully developed &
ready to open – covered
with silver hairs

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 Green tea

• 2 main types – planting material

– China jet / type –
• Small leaves, large # of small shoots

• Plucking – difficult, smaller trees

• More suitable – light liquoring, flavoury teas

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– Assam type –
• Broad leaves,
• less # of shoots than china type
• Easier plucking, bigger trees
• More suitable – thick liquoring teas

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China jet
• Use – china type planting material
– Contain less polyphenol
– less bitter
• shading – gives better quality tea

Chlorophyll Amino acid flavanols

(mg/ g) (mg/ 100g) (%)

Shaded 4.99 – 4.40 2.08 – 2.11 10.6 – 10.5

Un-shade 3.96 1.81 13.1

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 – Gives sweet taste & green colour to brew

• Green colour – due to not allowed for oxidation/

unfermented, chlorophyll still in leaves.

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Composition in green tea as %

• Polyphenols 37
CHO 25
Caffeine 3.5
Protein 15
Amino acid 4
Lignin 6.5
Organic acids 1.5
Lipids 2
Ash 5
Chlorophyll 0.5
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• Health effects - low risk for heart diseases

low risk for skin cancer

polyphenols – prevent early stages of skin
cancer
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 Oolong tea

• Processing is similar to black tea

– Very short fermentation period , Semi-fermented
tea
• Falls between in black & green teas
– Clear & fragrant as green tea
– Refreshing & strong as black tea

• Use as natural health drink –

– Anti aging

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– Anti-heart disease effect
– Positive effect on high blood
pressure
– Aid to digest foods
– Refreshing effect
– Prolong lifespan

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 Value addition

• Tea bags
• Flavoured tea
• Instant/ ready to drink tea
• Tea mixed with other products (spices, dried
fruits etc.)
• Other pdt.s – tooth paste, tea toffees etc.

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 Value addition..

- Soil alternatives –as potting media for

plants & nurseries
- Hard board & chip board
- Tea seed oil – cooking oil in China
Tea seed saponin – by products of oil
production

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 Instant tea

Selection of raw material

extraction

Aroma stripping

Cream processing

concentration

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 i. Selection of raw material -

• Black tea
• Fermented un-dried tea Blend in certain
proportions
• Oolong tea
• Green tea Depend – market
requirement

• USA – cold, haze less, bright, fl. that

complements other flavours added
• Japan – bright green colour & fresh flavour

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 ii. Extraction -

• 2 factors – to optimised
i. yield – tea solid extracted
ii. concentration – during the extraction
• 2 processing methods –
i. Continuous process – counter current extraction
ii. Batch process – extraction medium – water: tea
6:15 as wt

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• 2 stage – extraction
i. 15 – 50 oC water for 5 – 100 min.
ii. 50 – 100 oC
• Yd. – 35 % solids
Extraction yield increases using

• H2O2
• NH3 or NH4HCO3
• Enzymes (tannase)

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 iii. Aroma stripping -
• Aroma gives significant contribution to the taste
– Aroma stripped (separate)
– Later introduce (incorporate)
• Several methods
i. Steaming condensation encapsulation
ii. inert gases (N2, CO2) – pass through the
concentrate or tea concentrate is sprayed into a
steam of inert gas – separate aroma

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 iv. Cream processing

• When hot tea extract is cooled – form

opaque & cloudy precipitate
• Theaflavin, thearubigin, caffeine – found in
cream
• Creaming – character of quality tea
– But in liquid teas – haze not desirable
• Cooling & ppt. – by centrifugation
• But solids removes & flavour loss
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• Therefore cream is separated –
– Oxidised at 70 oC , pH 9 – 10, using enzymes
(tannase)
– Selective removal of compounds (ultra filtration/
passing through activated carbon etc.)
v. Concentration
vi. Drying –
• Spray drying
• Adds – anti-forming agents, flow agents (tri -
calcium phosphate, Silican)
• Aroma is added
• Aluminium salts add to make liquid reddish
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 Decaffeinated tea
• Caffeine – removed using organic
solvents
– Methylene chloride (dichloromethane) –
residues – harmful effects
– Ethyl acetate – not harmful, but not v.
selective in removing caffeine – lost other
compounds too
– Super critical CO2 – very selective

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 Method -
• Tea – moistened
• Put into a chamber with super critical
CO2
• After several hours - CO2 is removed
with caffeine (no residual effect)
• drying

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 Flavoured tea
• Typically black tea, soaked in natural/ artificial
flavours
– Liquid – spray through a nozzle to tea
– Solid – mix pellets with tea
• Use – rotary drum & store till achieve
equilibrium
• packaging
• Different types
• Recently – flavourd green tea

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• Most popular flavourd teas
– Flower scented – jasmine, magnolia, rose
– Fruity flavours tea – use concentrated fruit
juices
– natural essence of fruits – strawberry,
pineapple, apple, lemon, coconut, vanilla,
peach, litchi
• Most flavourd teas – available in
decaffeinated forms
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 Herbal tea
• Not really tea
– Not contain leaves of tea bush (Camellia
sinensis),
– caffeine free
• Contains seeds, roots, flowers, other
plant parts & herbs
• Often blended – to make unique taste
• Peppermint, belimal, etc.