Tea, ‘茶’ in Chinese, was originated from China and become popular in Tang dynasty in year 618. You are right, that’s around 1400 years ago. Tea is an aromatic beverage that simply prepared by pouring boiling water over cured leaves. After water, the innate flavour of the tea leaves will dissolve along the water and after several minutes of steeping, the tea will be ready to be served.
The most common species to produce tea leaves are Camellia sinensis. They are native in the East Asia. Oolong, green tea, white tea and black tea are the most common tea that are harvested from it but are processed differently to attain varying levels of oxidation.
I am a tea lover, am I able to grow my own tea leaves?
Unlike tomatoes or herbs, without careful moisture and temperature control during its manufacture and life thereafter, fungi will grow on tea.
Here are the tea leaves processing method that is commonly used.
Picking the best leaves out from the shrub by hand
To remove excess water from the leaves and allows a slight amount of oxidation.
The leaves are torn in order to promote oxidation.
For teas that require oxidation, the leaves are left on their own in a climate-controlled room where they turn progressively darker.
To stop the tea leaf oxidation at a desired level.
The damp tea leaves are then rolled to be formed into wrinkled strips, by hand.
To ‘finish’ the tea leaves making, it includes sunning, air drying or baking.
Just like red wine, some tea requires aging but not all of them. Additional aging, fermentation or baking to reach their drinking potential.
Remove impurities, such as stems and seeds.