The following is a brief introduction to the production process of black tea. Black tea is a fully fermented tea, the fresh leaves are processed by withering - twisting - fermentation - roasting - retorting, etc. The water color and leaf bottom are red, so it is called black tea.
1、Wilting
Withering is divided into two kinds of withering: indoor withering by heating and outdoor withering by sunlight. The degree of withering requires that the fresh leaf tip loses its luster, the leaf quality is soft and the stems are constantly folded, and the veins are transparent.
2、Twisting
The purpose of rolling black tea is the same as that of green tea, in which the tea leaves are formed and the color and flavor concentration is enhanced.
3、Fermentation
Fermentation, commonly known as "sweating", is one of the most important parts. It means that the kneaded tea embryo is loaded in the basket, slightly pressed, covered with warm water-soaked fermentation cloth to increase the temperature and humidity of the fermented leaves, promote the enzyme activity, shorten the fermentation time, generally after 5-6 hours, the veins are reddish brown, can be roasted and dried. The purpose of fermentation is to make full contact between polyphenols and oxidizing enzymes, resulting in oxidative polymerization under the action of enzymes, and other chemical components also undergo profound changes accordingly, so that the green tea leaves produce red change, forming the color and aroma quality of black tea.
4、Baking
The fermentation of moderate tea leaves evenly collected on the water sieve, each sieve about 2 ~ 2.5 kg or so, then the water sieve placed on the hanger, under the pure pine wood (wet better) burning, so small black tea has a unique pure pine smoke flavor. Just on the roasting, require a higher fire temperature, generally at about 80 degrees, high temperature is mainly to stop the role of enzymes, to prevent fermentation caused by enzymatic activity and excessive fermentation, the bottom of the leaves dark and do not carry out. It should not be turned so as not to affect the unevenness of dryness, resulting in dry outside and wet inside. Generally roasted to the touch of a prickly feeling, research into the powder, dryness to achieve, and then spread cool.
5、Re-roasting
Tea is a material that can easily absorb water, and must be reheated before sale, in order to retain its internal quality, the water content of not more than 8%.
After these 5 strict processes of black tea, the tea leaves are neatly shaped and consistent with the inner quality, and can be loaded with finished products into storage according to the measurement requirements. This 5-step process represents not only a technology, it also contains memories, emotions, mixed with generations of craftsmen's persistent pursuit of quality. And this, probably, is also the real charm of black tea.
