GROWING TEA
It takes a lot of time, care and patience to bring up the perfect tea plants. Click on the link above to find out more about our dedicated growers.
Growing tea can be tricky. If the weather and ground conditions
aren't absolutely perfect, the tea plants struggle to grow properly
and the tea they make is inferior in flavour. So growers do all
they can to take care of their tea plants.
Unlike many of us, tea plants love the rain - they need about
1,250mm every year, together with a temperature of between 10−30°C.
Some tea estates, in exposed places like Assam, grow other trees to
protect the sensitive tea plants from the sun and strong winds.
Growing tea takes a lot of love and attention too. They have to
be pruned every 4−5 years - not just to make sure they stay fresh,
but to make sure the 'pluckers' can reach the leaves.
Organic tea
As well as the challenge of growing 'normal' tea, we also
produce organic
tea, which is grown in carefully chosen tea estates around the
world. Each organic tea is monitored very strictly - from the
moment the seeds are planted, to the minute they're ready for the
teapot. In the UK, the Soil Association checks our organic teas and
infusions to make sure they meet the legal requirements of the term
'organic'. In other countries, our teas are checked by
international certification agencies, who visit our organic tea
estates regularly, ensuring they're doing everything by European
guidelines.
Plucking tea
The system used for cutting the tea plants is called the
'plucking table'. It involves pruning the plants to about waist
height, with flat tops (like tables), so that the leaves are easy
to reach when they're ready to harvest.
Different places in the world have different seasons for
plucking tea, when the tea leaves are at their finest and most
flavoursome. These harvests are known as 'flushes'.
Teas which are picked during different flushes have distinct
flavours and varying values at auction. For example, 'first flush'
Darjeeling is known to be the most flavoursome (and therefore the
most valuable), while 'second flush' Assam is known for being
smooth and slightly malty.
And if you think plucking tea leaves is simple, think again. Tea
pluckers have to know exactly when the leaves are ready, so that
they only pick them when they're tender and full of flavour. And
with 3,000−4,000kg of tea leaves needed to make just 1kg of
unprocessed tea, the pluckers have a big job on their hands.
RELATED ARTICLES
THE TEA FACTORY
After the tea leaves have been plucked, the real production of
tea begins. The leaves are first ...
HOW TEA IS MADE
Did you know that black, green and white teas all start off
pretty much the same? It's the magic ...