Yesterday we visited the Homedale processing plant in Coonoor. During our stay at Akriti, we have learned much about the growing of tea, harvesting, how weather and site location affect the quality of the tea, and so much more. The process used at this plant was CTC (crush turn curl).
Ravi told us, and we were surprised to learn that “all teas – white, green, oolong, and black are made from the leaves of the same species. While the varietal of the particular Camellia sinensis plant as well as the weather conditions and soil contribute to the final taste of the tea, the significant differences of tea type develop in the processing of the leaves. The distinguishing factor that determines whether tea leaves will become white, green, oolong or black is in the oxidation.”
“High quality green tea requires tender and freshly plucked buds from the small-leafed China variety of the tea bush – Camellia sinensis var. sinensis. Since green tea does not undergo any fermentation, great care is needed during handling, transportation, and storage of the leaf prior to manufacture, as bruising and excessive heating immediately encourage fermentation and microbial infection. The plucked leaves are directly heat-treated, rolled, and dried.”
