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HISTORY OF TEA
According to the legend, around 4000 years ago there was an Emperor in China called "NUN SHEN", who was also a scholar and a herbalist. One day as he was boiling some water at the terrace of his palace, the wind blew some leaves from a nearby tree into the boiling water. These leaves were actually tea leaves and as they boiled in the boiling water, the aroma drew the Emperor to taste the liquid. As soon as he tasted this new liquid he was revived with a new energy and the taste also delighted him. This is how the delightness of tea came to our knowledge.
Previously people used to boil the tea leaves and drink the liquid separately and the boiled leaves along with butter and salt. Later the tea preparing and drinking methods got more modernized but the effect of it remained the same 'Delicious taste and Instant revived energy'. |
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HOW TEA IS PROCESSED
Worldwide tea manufacturing process is recognized under two different methods. These two methods are known as: -
1. CTC MANUFACTURING PROCESS
2. ORTHODOX MANUFACTURING PROCESS |
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LEAF: The raw material green tea leaves contain a large number of chemical compounds, which undergo a series of changes to impart the characteristic color and taste. The concentrations of chemical compounds in the younger leaves are ideal for the production of a good black tea.
WITHERING: - The first stage of processing starts with withering. The most obvious change during withering is the loss of moisture and concentration of chemicals. While a certain degree of flaccidity is desirable, a much softer wither has to be taken primarily for CTC manufacture. The percentage may vary from 65 to 70.
CTC PROCESSING: - The preconditioned leaf (gentle expression of the leaf juices onto the surface of the crushed leaf) from the ROTORVANE passes smoothly and rapidly from one CTC to the next.
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CTC: - From the ROTORVANE crushed leaf is fed by conveyors onto CRUSH, TEAR & CURLING (CTC) machines in a series of three or four cuts. Teas thus produced in CTC machines are generally much smaller in size than ORTHODOX machines and they give brighter, brisker and more colour infusions. The object of maceration step is to mix the chemical compounds and enzymes and to allow free access of oxygen for fermentation to proceed.
FERMENTATION: - Primarily an oxidation of the most important compound in the leaf classified as polyphenols takes place by atmospheric oxygen with the help of an enzyme present in the leaf called polyphenol oxidase. In the presence of oxygen, an important oxidative change takes place resulting in the characteristic colour change and aroma.
DRYING: - Removing excess moisture, arresting fermentation by destroying enzymes and preserving quality. Excess moisture needs to be evaporated since greater quantity of moisture remains in the tea as a result of softer wither required for CTC manufacture. The end product from the DRYER mouth should have moisture contain of 2 ½ to 3 percent. |
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SORTING: - The separation of made tea particles into various shapes and sizes in conformity with trade requirements. The primary consideration is an even, uniform sizing of the grades. The accepted types of tea mainly depending on particle shape and size in CTC type of manufacturing are generally categorized as follows: -
PRIMARY GRADES |
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BP |
Broken Pekoe |
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BP1 |
Broken Pekoe 1 |
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PF1 |
Pekoe Fanning 1 |
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PD |
Pekoe Dust |
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D1 |
Dust 1 |
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Second Grades |
PF |
Pekoe Fanning's |
FNGS |
Fanning's |
Dust |
Dust |
BMF |
Broken Mixed Fanning's |
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