TEA

Tea is an important beverage. Most people drink tea more than any other beverage. Tea drinking, in fact has become a part of man’s cultural heritage – an expression of social living.
Tea comes from a hardy evergreen plant that belongs to the camellia family. It comes from two main types of shrubs – one from India (Camellia assimica) and the other from Chine (Camellia sinensis). The tea shrub requires a tropical or sub-tropical climate and a well drained acid type soil with and even rainfall of not less than 70” of rain a year. The tree shrub (bush) is maintained at a height of 3-4’. This trimming and pruning of the shrub enables it to produce large quantities of shoots. Tea is made from the young leaves of the plant called “Flush”. Usually only two small leaves and a bud are picked. Picking is done every 7 to 14 days Plucking or picking of leaves is mainly done by women and young girls because by temperament, they are adaptable to this type of work.

Tea components
Theine was originally identified as the stimulant in tea, but it has since been shown to be identical with caffeine. Tea also contains theobromine, theophylline and polyphenolic compounds – flavonols. Polyphenolic compounds contribute to the flavour and are chiefly responsible for its astringency.

Producers and Exporters
The main producers and exporters of tea are
1. From South Asia : India and Sri Lanka, with smaller supplies from Bangladesh
2. From the Far-east : China and Taiwan; Green tea from Japan
3. South-East Asia : Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia.
4. From Africa : Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique and Tanzania.
5. From South America : Argentina and Brazil.

In India, the main areas of production are Assam hills and West Bengal. Assam produces the most pungent tea. Tea produces in the Brahmaputra Valley is in great demand all over the world and are particularly suited for blending with other teas to improve strength and colour. The Darjeeling tea, famous for its flavour, is grown on the mountain slopes of Himalayas. Nowhere in the world has the “Darjeeling flavour” being duplicated, while Assam tea makes good liquor. Therefore, these two are blended for both fine flavour and liquor.
Tea is also grown in Himachal Pradesh, U.P., Tripura, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. In the south, cultivation is mainly confined to Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerela.

Classification
Tea may be classified under the following headings:
1. By the country of origin (Indian or Chinese Tea).
2. By the type (Green or Black Tea).
3. By the method of manufacture (CTC or Fermented).
4. By the grade
(The four main grades of tea are:
- Leaf teas.
- Broken and small leaf teas.
- Fannings.
- Dust.)
5. By the blend (To be used by a particular catering company).
6. By the catering use (For bulk production or for vending machines).

Manufacture of Tea
There are five main stages in the manufacture of tea:
1. Withering the leaf
On reaching the factory, which is usually close to the plantation, the plucked leaves are first weighed. They are then spread out evenly and thinly on special racks (slatted). At this stage, they lose 50% of their moisture by evaporation. This stage takes 24 hours, depending on the surrounding temperature and the humidity in the air.
2. Rolling the leaves
The leaves are put through rolling machines that break up the leaf cells, thus releasing natural juices and bringing them into contact with air. At this stage, the finer leaves are separated from the larger coarser leaves and are then further separately processed.
3. Fermenting the leaves
This isn’t really a true fermentation, but the oxidation stage. Tannin, which is the astringent substance in the tea leaf, is oxidized and leads to development of aroma, flavour and colour of the leaf. The leaves are spread out in a cool but humid room under controlled conditions, on racks for approximately 3 hours, during which they turn a coppery colour by the absorption of oxygen.
4. Firing the leaves
To stop the fermentation process, the leaves are ‘fired’ through a current of hot and dry air for about 20 to 30 minutes. The leaves turn black, dry and crisp.
5. Sifting and Grading
The dry tea is then sifted, graded and packed into foil – lined tea chests and sealed to protect the leaves from moisture and other odours. These chests are then shipped to the blenders.

Green tea is processed similarly to black tea, except that the fermentation stage is omitted. Because of this, it doesn’t have characteristic flavour and aroma of black tea. Oolong tea is partially fermented.

Tasting and Blending
Tea that is purchased by tea merchant is first cleaned to remove particles like dust, splinters, traces of metals etc. Next, expert tea tasters or blenders will taste the tea and examine the leaf and assess the tea for quality, flavour, strength, body and size. An assessment is then made, bearing in mind the cost of the tea as well.
Tea from each sample is made in a separate pot and allowed to infuse for a standard time of six minutes. As tasting is by comparison against a quality standard, each batch of tasting are standardized i.e. they are presented to the taster in exactly the same way, made with equal weights of leaf, equal quantities of fresh boiling water, equal infusion times and finally with or without a measured amount of milk. After infusion, tea is drained into a bowl, the infused tea tipped into the pot lid and both placed against all the other samples and standard for that type of tea.
Most of the teas purchased today are blended teas and are pre-packed. Blending is a highly skilled job to ensure a standard product in quality, flavour and appearance is available throughout the year at a standard price. To maintain the standard of a blended tea, the blender would make up many samples of mixtures of teas from different estates, each with different characteristics and taste and compare them against the original standard, before a quantity of blend is made up in the factory.

Types (Market forms) of Tea
1. Tea Blends
Tea blends are a mixture of two or more varieties of tea grown on various plantations e.g. Orange pekoe, Broken Orange pekoe, Earl Grey, Darjeeling etc.
2. Tea bags
These are the modern convenient version of loose tea. They may contain upto 30 varieties of teas that have been blended together. The material used to make the bags is strong, yet porous enough to impart the flavour of the tea. They don’t interfere with the flavour of the tea and they should be strong enough not to burst during the infusion. In spite of being costlier, tea bags have the advantage of aiding cost and portion control, besides being easier to dispose off the used leaves. Tea bags allow the individual to control the strength of his cup of tea.
3. Catering Packs
Catering packs are similar to tea bags as they are packed in specific quantities to make a fixed quantity of tea. They normally are available in ½ gallon, 1, 3 and 5 gallon packs. These are useful for large-scale production of the beverage.
4. Instant Tea
This is comparatively a new product, developed on the lines of instant coffee. An infusion of tea is spray dried or freeze-dried and packed in air-tight containers. It is mainly confined to vending machines, where a small quantity of about 0.7 Gms of highly concentrated tea is sufficient to make a cup of tea.
5. Scented Teas
Dried jasmine flowers, rose petals, cloves, mint leaves or orange zest is added to the leaves during the firing stage after which they may be sieved. Scented teas are now commonly available in tea bags.

Rules to make a good cup of Tea
 Use a good blend of tea.
 Follow a recipe (For small quantities, 1 teaspoon per cup + 1 for the pot).
 Use freshly boiled water.
 Warm the teapot by swirling with hot water.
 Add tea leaves to the warm pot.
 Take the pot to the water so that the water never goes off the boil.
 Allow the infusion to stand for at least 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
 Remember – “Tea should be brewed, not stewed”.

Iced Tea
Iced tea may be prepared with tea leaves or instant tea. A strong tea is prepared and poured over ice cubes. The strong tea compensates for diluting effect of the melting ice. Dissolved polyphenols may precipitate upon cooling and cloud the tea. The addition of lemon juice or small amount of water restores clarity. Instant tea could be combined with cold water to produce iced tea.
A well brewed tea is sparkling clear and free from surface film. Green tea is a pale green in colour with a slightly bitter flavour and little aroma. Oolong tea is an intermediate light brownish green with a slightly bitter flavour and a mild aroma. Black tea is amber coloured with a full flavour free of bitterness and distinctive pleasing aroma.