Stash Tea: Where it Comes From

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Tea - Where it Comes From

Green Tea production process

Black Tea production process

View the video HERE

Tea video and soundtrack by Tom Lisicki

TEA comes from many
    countries in Asia
  including China, India, Japan
      and Sri Lanka

All Green Tea, Black Tea, Oolong Tea and White Tea Comes from the same plant

Camellia sinensis.	In some places tea is cultivated in neatly manicured rows.	In other places tea grows in clumps of bushes that spread up and down hillsides.

In most countries tea is plucked by women. BACK TO TOP	They pick the top two leaves and bud from new shoots that sprout on the top of the bushes.	Here is a closeup of the top two leaves and bud.
Green Tea production process

Now let's take a look at green tea processing.	First let's look at the oldest manual methods.	To start, the tea leaves are spread on bamboo mats to wither, which reduces moisture.

This is pan firing where the tea is carefully heated in iron pans to stop enzyme action in the leaves. These enzymes would change the flavor of the tea.	Next is basket firing which dries the leaves so that they can be stored without spoiling.	Another type of green tea processing uses some simple machinery.

These machines use charcoal heat to stop enzyme activity.	Let's look at larger scale processing which uses less manual labor.	Here we see the use of conveyors to move large quantities of tea.

This machine rolls the tea to shape the leaves and break the cell walls before drying.	This dryer uses a conveyor system.	Next the tea is sifted to sort the leaves by size.

This factory uses steam to stop the enzyme action. BACK TO TOP	This method is commonly used for Japanese style green tea.	Now the tea is ready for market.
Black Tea production process

Here the pickers take their tea to be weighed.	These withering troughs are set on screens with air flowing underneath to remove moisture.	Rolling will expose the inside of the leaves to air.

The exposure to oxygen will activate the enzymes to change the flavor and make the leaves turn dark and end up as black tea.	Next the tea must be dried.	Finally it is sifted for size. Smaller particles are perfect for teabags.

Larger leaves will be used as loose tea.	At the end of the journey the tea will be blended and packed and sold to happy tea drinkers around the world.