Ceylon, the processing methods of black tea

Gentler winds, lighter and more transparent air, harmonious undulations give the gardens of Ceylon a more cheerful appearance. In plantations that sometimes do not exceed twenty hectares, a more human dimension is discovered. Most of the plantations are located in the southwest of the island. The most beautiful gardens, as always, are found between 1000 and 2500 meters, on the east and west slopes of the high plateaus. Depending on the orientation, they are influenced by one monsoon or the other; so on the east side, the best harvest is obtained from the end of June to the end of August, and on the west side from February 1st to March 15th. While women in saris pick the leaves, men in long white tunics supervise the progress of the harvest until it reaches the factory. If the soul of the garden is in the hands of the women who pick, the factory is its heart and brain. The black teas of Ceylon, India, or China, which are the favorites in Europe, are the result of a long transformation of the freshly picked plant: they are in fact fermented teas. The fermentation of tea requires the same care and meticulous, scientifically measured gestures as the alcoholic fermentation of grapes to make wine. In the factory, mostly men work: workers and technicians in shorts and bare feet move around in the dim light amidst an indescribable clutter of machinery, from which emanate incessant heat and noise. Black tea processing stages Withering consists of softening the leaves so that they lose half of their water, in order to be rolled without breaking. They are spread in a thin layer on long racks placed one above the other at a distance of 20 cm, and a hot air current is circulated between them for 24 hours. Today, in the most modern facilities, withering is done in galleries or tanks that allow the operation to be completed in just 6 hours. Once the leaves are withered, they are rolled on themselves to facilitate oxygen absorption. Rolling, which breaks the leaf cells and releases the essential oils, used to be done by hand using the palms of the hands, but today heavy metal discs rotating in the opposite direction inside imposing machines, the rollers, are used. The rolled leaves are then placed on long sieves to separate them according to thickness and condition: whole or broken. This is the grading process, which in some gardens is still done by hand and allows the leaves to be classified according to the grades of black tea: in the best gardens, the leaves will give, according to size and rolling direction, Orange Pekoe (O.P., leaves rolled lengthwise and varying in length from 8 to 15 mm), Flowery Orange Pekoe (F.O.P., slightly shorter leaves), Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (a F.O.P. in which some leaves have a golden tip) or Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (T.G.F.O.P., in which all leaves have a golden tip). Then, moving qualitatively downwards, we have broken leaves and finally fanning and dust, leaves reduced to less than a millimeter, which is what we find in tea bags. The essential operation follows, which gives black tea its color and above all its aroma: fermentation. This is achieved by exposing the leaves to a humid atmosphere (at least 90% humidity) after spreading them on large cement, glass, or aluminum plates. The air temperature must be carefully monitored and maintained between 22º and 28ºC, as even a slight variation towards heat would risk giving the tea a burnt taste, and towards the bottom would stop the fermentation process. This entire process is carried out by the tea maker, who must know when to stop the fermentation according to the desired effect. The leaves are then dried in a huge machine that serves as a dryer and conveyor belt at the same time, where they are exposed to temperatures below 80ºC for about 20 minutes. Drying, the final stage of tea processing, requires special care and attention. If it is too weak, it would compromise the life of the tea, risking making it moldy. If it is too strong, it would deprive it of much of its aroma. Excerpt from "The Great Tea Book" Idea Libri. Did we intrigue you? Discover the best varieties of Ceylon tea on the market.