Tea World

Lesson 023

Black Tea Manufacture

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Black tea, which is the most commonly consumed tea in the world is the one processed in the largest amount among all types of tea. Black tea manufacturing technology essentially involves disruption of cells of the tea shoots, thereby enabling the mixing of substrates (polyphenols) and the enzymes (polyphenol oxidases). This results in initiation of a series of biochemical and chemical reactions with the uptake of atmospheric oxygen and formation of oxidized polyphenolic compounds that are characteristic of tea along with volatile flavor compounds that impart characteristic aroma to tea.

Stages of Black Tea Manufacture

 The process of black tea manufacture is long, requires much care, attention, control and a scientific understanding of complicated physical and chemical changes in the leaf as the manufacture progresses. There are several distinctive processes that take place in the manufacture of black tea. You have come to know that black tea manufacture involves a series of complex bio-chemical reactions which are in turn influenced by the atmospheric conditions like ambient temperature, humidity etc of the processing day. So to control the processing, besides scientific understanding, experience in tea making is very essential. An

The basic operations in black tea manufacture are:

 (i) Withering,(ii) Leaf Distortion - Rolling (plus Crushing, tearing and curling in case of CTC) (iii) Fermentation (iv) Firing or Drying and (v) Sorting and Grading.

Black can further be sub divided into:

(a) Orthodox and

(b) CTC tea

 Different steps of black tea (Orthodox and CTC) manufacture

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