THE TEA FACTORY

Once the tea leaves have been plucked, they are taken to be processed at a tea factory... Click on the link above to find out more.

After the tea leaves have been plucked, the real production of tea begins. The leaves are first taken to a tea factory to be processed. These factories are usually very close to the tea gardens, so the leaves stay as fresh as possible.

There are only 24 hours between the moment the tea leaves are plucked and the minute they're packed up. But what happens during these 24 hours is crucial, as this is when the destiny of the leaves will be determined: will they be black, green or in-between? Caffeinated or decaff? There's no more important time in a tea leaf's life!

The next stage in the production of tea is the sorting process. Before they leave the tea factory, all the teas - black, green, white and  Oolong - are graded and sorted. Because different sized leaves brew at different speeds, the leaves are separated into batches of the same size.

Next, the leaves are classified by size, type and appearance. Different countries have their own systems for classifying tea. In China, teas are named by the region they came from, the way they were made and the type of leaf, or the legend behind the tea.

Then the teas are finally ready to be packed into foil-lined paper sacks or tea chests. These keep the leaves dry and protect them from the knocks and bumps of their onward journey.

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