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Camellia sinensis – Black Tea Processing
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A Simplified Hand Processed Japan Style Black Tea
1.1. On a sunny afternoon, harvest young tea shoots with two to three leaves and a central needle-like leaf.
2.2. Assam hybrids such as Benihikari, Benihomare, and Bohea make good black teas.
3.3. Set tea, as a single shoot layer on a screen or rack, over-night in a relatively dry withering room between 68-77 oF for 16 hours. Estimate or monitor to determine that the tea is around 70% leaf moisture before proceeding to the next step.
4.4. Hand roll (knead with firm pressure) in a muslin cloth for at least 10 minutes. Open the cloth and separate the tea. Repeat this process for four times. Using a washboard is helpful in the rolling process. The temperature of the room for this process is the same for the withering process.
5.5. (Optional Step) If two major leaf sizes exist, you may want to experiment with screening the teas. Roll and knead the coarser grade tea two more times. The smaller sized teas can be consolidated in a separate pile and fermented as a batch size.
6.6. Carefully separate the tea shoots from each other. Place tea in a tray approximately 5-6 tea shoot layers in height, in a fermenting room set at 77 to 86 oF and under high humid conditions. Cover the rolled tea with a single layer of cheese cloth for approximately 3 hours.The tea will undergo an oxidation/fermentation process and change to a coppery color. Cue for aroma and flavor qualities.
7.7. Stop this process when the tea has darken by drying at 203o F for 5 minutes followed by 140 oF for approximately 30 to 60 minutes. You may use an oven or a Chinese bamboo dryer. Monitor and reduce the leaf moisture to 5%.
8.8. Get accustomed to your drying unit. Calibrate your unit with a temperature gauge and make necessary adjustments.
9.9. Pack in air tight aluminum bag or container for storage
Chinese Bamboo Dryer
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Hand Roll in Muslin Cloth on Ribbed Wash Board
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Dwight Sato, Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, UH Manoa-CTAHR Tomomi Kinoshita, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto, Japan |
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