At Teatulia®, we grow and process all of our teas at our USDA-certified organic tea garden in Northern Bangladesh’s Tetulia region. But how do our fresh, organic tea leaves get from our garden into your tea cup?
There are two basic methods of tea production: Orthodox and non-orthodox. Each method produces a very different final tea product.
Whole Leaf: The orthodox method uses a process that preserves the integrity and flavor of the whole tea leaf throughout all stages of production.
Rolled & Shaped for Loose Leaf Tea: Whole tea leaves are carefully rolled or shaped into various sizes and styles depending on the type of tea being produced. Orthodox processing is used to produce various styles of loose leaf tea, including white, green, oolong and black.
Artisan Method: An artisan orthodox tea producer can greatly vary the outcome of a tea’s final appearance, aroma and flavor by how the tea leaf is shaped, oxidized and dried during the production process.
Complex Flavor: The orthodox method takes longer, but results in an attractive full leaf tea with complex flavor and aroma.
Shredded Leaf: Also known as Crush-Tear-Curl, or CTC, non-orthodox processing yields small, intentionally shredded pieces of tea leaf that are shaped into granular pellets.
Made for Commercial Tea Bags: CTC was originally designed for the production of a strong, full-bodied black tea that could be packaged in traditional tea bags and stand up to the added milk and sugar in a brewed cup.
Machine Method: CTC is mainly a machine-driven production method created to eliminate some of the labor-intensive steps of the orthodox artisan method in order to speed up time to market for black tea production.
One-dimensional Flavor: The CTC process lacks the ability to produce a wide range of teas and tea flavors. Some green teas can be produced in this method, but white and oolong teas cannot. CTC is mainly a black tea production process because as the leaves are shredded, oxidation starts quickly. CTC-processed leaves are highly oxidized and they start loosing their essential oils immediately. Therefore, subtle nuances in aroma and flavor cannot be controlled, creating a final tea product with a one-dimensional profile.
Teatulia practices the orthodox method of tea production in order to preserve the whole tea leaf, control the outcome of the aroma and flavor of the final tea, and have the ability to produce a variety of tea styles from white to green to black.
At Teatulia we follow these key orthodox processing steps:
From withering to drying, the same Camellia sinensis tea leaf is treated differently during the process to produce the very different aroma and flavor effects of white, green and black teas.
White: Green Bud → Withering (72 hrs) → Drying (110°C/65°C)
Our white tea is neither rolled nor fired, so it is essentially non-oxidized and it is the least processed. Instead of being exposed to an artificial heat, the leaves are simply allowed to wither and dry in a carefully controlled environment, which results in the most delicate, fresh-from-the-garden tasting tea.
Green: Steaming/Roasting → Cooling → 1st Rolling → 1st Drying (110°C/70°C) → Final Rolling→ Final Drying (120°C/80°C)
Our green tea is passed through a steaming treatment before rolling. Steaming applies light heat to the leaves to help halt the oxidation process before the leaves are rolled into shape. Steaming also helps expose the fresh, grassy flavor of the leaf. Green tea leaves are not allowed to oxidize after rolling, which is why they remain light color and flavor.
Black: Withering → 1st Rolling → Oxidizing/Fermenting → Drying (110°C/65°C)
Our black tea is rolled immediately after withering to help get the oxidation processes started quickly. The leaves are then fully oxidized before they are dried, which is how they get their dark color and rich flavor.
Sources:
1 School of Tea: http://www.schooloftea.org/tea-manufacturing-process/
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