Do you know how your daily tea is produced? This article provides a rough summary of the methods and manufacturing processes of teas in general. We will go through main processes from picking fresh leaves to shipment, two important phases of “Aracha (crude tea)” and “finishing” in tea manufacturing, and the difference in manufacturing process by the type of tea.

Main processes from picking fresh leaves to shipment

Tea leaves are grown at a tea plantation. At the picking season, fresh leaves are plucked. Then, after many manufacturing processes, they are shipped across the country and reach you. The manufacturing process differs by the type of tea, but the flow is divided into the two main phases of Aracha and finishing. Let us take a look at these two.

How to make Aracha

Fresh leaves of tea contain oxidative enzymes. The plucked leaves get oxidized by enzymes with time. The teas produced without fermentation (oxidation), such as green tea, go through heating treatment to deactivate enzymes in the fresh leaves. Then, the teas undergo processes such as rolling/twisting, fine rolling, and drying to become Aracha.

In contrast, the teas produced through fermentation (oxidation), such as black tea, need to be fermented well in a hot and humid fermentation chamber after withering and kneading. The teas, fully fermented and dried, become Aracha.

Fermentation (oxidization)

Fermentation starts, immediately after plucking, due to oxidative enzymes in the tea leaves. This fermentation refers to enzymatic oxidation, which is a little different from microbial fermentation. Note that some teas such as post-fermented teas are actually produced through microbial fermentation.

Deactivation

This process is to block fermentation by halting the activity of the enzymes through heating treatment. Main deactivation methods include the Mushi method (steaming fresh leaves) and the Kama-iri method (roasting in the pan).

Rolling

In this process, pressured kneading equalizes the leaf moisture so that the ingredients get easy to come out.

Fine rolling

This process is to shape the tea leaves by drying with heat and kneading in one direction.

Drying

This process is to further dry the leaves by thoroughly airing hot wind. Here comes Aracha.

Finishing

In the phase of Aracha, the leaves are irregularly-shaped and not completely dry. They are not ready to be shipped as a product. So we need the finishing phase. Finishing includes sorting/shaping, firing, and blending in this order. Shipment follows measuring, checking, and packaging. Finishing enables long storage and enhances the tea flavor.

Sorting/shaping

Aracha is sieved to remove fine stems and sort the leaves by the size. And the following processes such as cutting shape the leaves.

Firing

Drying once again with fire improves the shelf life of the leaves and brings out the tea aroma.

Blending

As the final adjustment, blending is to equalize the composition and quality of the tea. Measuring, checking, and packaging follow to ship the tea as a product.

Difference between tea types

Tea manufacturing process varies a little between types of tea. They are classified into the four types of “unfermented tea,” “half-fermented tea,” “fermented tea,” and “post-fermented tea” according to the extent of fermentation. In addition, “flowering tea” is a tea processed with these. Let us take a look at each of them.

Unfermented tea (green tea, matcha, etc.)

Unfermented tea is a tea whose plucked fresh leaves have undergone heating treatment prior to fermentation by the leaf oxidative enzymes. As a result, it remains unfermented. It keeps a fresh aroma and a clear green color. When heated, the enhanced fragrance yields an elegant flavor and aroma.

Half-fermented tea (oolong tea, etc.)

Half-fermented tea is a tea whose fermentation has been stopped at a suitable point. Unlike unfermented tea, the fresh leaves are withered before fermentation. As a result, aroma components produced by oxidative enzymes and the like yield a characteristic fragrance. It stands in the middle between green tea and black tea in terms of the degree of fermentation. According to the degree of fermentation, half-fermented tea is further classified into white tea (bai cha), yellow tea (huang cha), blue tea (qing cha/oolong tea), etc.

Fermented tea (black tea)

Fermented tea is a tea whose leaves have undergone a full fermentation by oxidative enzymes. As with half-fermented tea, the leaves are withered before fermentation so that oxidative enzymes produce various aroma components. Fermented longer than half-fermented tea, the tea takes on a characteristic glamorous fragrance. It is fermented tea, among the four classes, that is consumed the most in the word.

Post-fermented tea (Pu'er tea, etc.)

Post-fermented tea is a tea produced through fermentation by microbes, not by oxidative enzymes. Post-fermented tea changes its flavors with different microbes. Pu’er tea from China is a representative tea fermented by kōji-mold (aspergillus) and Goishicha from Kōchi Prefecture is a representative tea fermented by lactic acid bacteria.

Flowering tea (jasmine tea, etc.)

Flowering tea is a green tea, white, tea, blue tea, or other tea flavored with flowers and fruits. A representative example is jasmine tea, which is one of the most popular teas even in Japan with its elegant aroma.

Like green tea, “Hojicha (roasted green tea)” is a popular Japanese tea among many people. What on earth makes its distinctive pleasant aroma and smooth taste? This article guides you through the manufacturing process of “Hojicha.”

Features of Hojicha process

Hojicha is produced by roasting processed tea at about 200 degrees C until it turns brown. Its processing method was originally to enjoy low-quality tea and applied mainly to low-grade tea such as stem tea and Bancha (common tea). In general, Hojicha is graded high if it is from the Ichibancha (first picked tea) that is picked late in the first season. Another high-grade one is “Stem Hojicha,” a roasted high-grade stem tea.

What changes by roasting?

Roasting tea leaves produces “Pyrazine” so that the leaves take on a distinctive pleasant aroma. In addition, it lessens tea’s characteristic astringency and makes a smooth, easy-to-drink taste.

How to make Hojicha at home?

The original method requires a tool called “Horoku.” Here, we will show you an easy way that uses a frying pan.

1. Spread tea leaves in an unheated frying pan and start at medium flame.

2. Wait for a while before you start stirring

3. After an aroma starts arising, stir them with a wooden spatula carefully not to scorch them, and roast them to your preferred color. Now it is ready.

4. Brew the tea with hot water for a better aroma. Take enough time until its color appears a little too deep (approximately 30 seconds).

Today “Matcha” is loved throughout the world. It is made of a tea called “Tencha.” How much do you know about “Tencha?” This article guides you through how “Tencha” is manufactured and how it becomes “Matcha.”

Features of Matcha process and Tencha process

“Tencha,” the material of Matcha, is the only tea that skips the kneading process unlike Sencha (steeped green tea). For this reason, its Aracha (crude tea) takes shorter to manufacture than Sencha. However, its whole process takes time and effort as with Sencha, considering its leaves need to be ripened and ground in a mill.

From picking fresh leaves into shipment

The picked fresh leaves are processed into “Tencha” at first. Then it undergoes the finishing process to be shipped as “Matcha” across the country.

Tencha process

Tencha process is broadly divided into two phases of “Aracha” and “finishing.” Let us start from the “Aracha” phase.

Steaming

Freshly-picked leaves contain oxidative enzymes. The enzymes immediately start fermentation (oxidation). This process is to deactivate their action with the heat of steam. Tencha is steamed shorter than Sencha. As a result, the leaves turn bright yellow-green and gain a distinctive scent called “ooika (covered aroma).” To make a deep-colored Matcha, the leaves should be steamed longer.

Cooling/blowing

The leaves are put in a tea leaf blower. The 5-meter-tall machine repeatedly blows the leaves up and down, and cools them down. It can separate and arrange the cooled leaves in a single layer.

Rough drying (main drying)

Leaves are dried with hot wind of over 150 degrees C through a special drying oven. The layered oven has three conveyor belts. The leaves are dried rapidly on the bottom belt, blown up to the top belt, and dried gradually until they go down to the middle belt.

That’s all for the Aracha process.

Finishing

The stems of Aracha are not fully dried so they are not good for making Matcha. The finishing process needs to follow. In the case of Tencha, this finishing process is also referred to as “Shitate (tailoring).”

Sorting

The stem portions are cut off from the leaves using a machine called stem cutter. Furthermore, only the leaf portions of good-quality are sorted out and cut into the regular length, removing hard leaves and remaining stems.

Drying

The sorted leaves are blown and slowly dried. The wind can further separate the stem portions that have not been removed.

Blending

To make a preferred flavor and color, different types of Tencha are blended. This concludes the Tencha process.

Stone-mill grinding

Tencha under thoroughly controlled temperature and humidity is ground in a stone mill just before shipment. Finally the Matcha process is done.

Production areas of Matcha and Tencha

Uji City in Kyoto Prefecture and Nishio City in Aichi Prefecture are well-known as production areas of Matcha. Shizuoka Prefecture, Mie Prefecture, and Fukuoka Prefecture are also producing a lot of Matcha.

The birthplace of Matcha is said to be China, but today their Matcha production is much less.

Broadly speaking, unoxidized tea is processed in “the steaming method” or “the pan-roasting method” according to the way of deactivation. “The steaming method” is more common for Japanese green tea, while Chinese green tea is mostly processed in “the pan-roasting method.” The tea produced in “the pan-roasting method” is called “Kamairicha.” This article guides you through the features and process of “Kamairicha.”

Features of Kamairicha process

Kamairicha is a kind of unoxidized tea. It has undergone the deactivation of oxidative enzymes in the leaf immediately after plucking. It is featured by the process of “Kamairi (pan-roasting)” for deactivation.

From picking fresh leaves to shipment

Upon picking, the fresh leaves are processed up to the “Aracha (crude tea)” phase at a nearby site and transported to a finishing factory to undergo the “finishing” process. “Aracha” becomes a product through “finishing” to be shipped across the country.

How to make Aracha

Let us take a closer look at the process to make “Aracha”

Kamairi (pan-roasting)

The plucked tea leaves are thoroughly roasted in a hot iron pan of 300 degrees C. The heating and finishing processes rely on the experience and intuition of an expert.

Rough rolling

The leaves are vigorously kneaded and dried with hot wind under an appropriate pressure. This process softens the leaves and reduces their moisture.

Rolling/twisting

Rough rolling does not knead the leaves enough. Now the leaves are kneaded only with pressure, with no heat. This process equalizes the leaf moisture and breaks up the leaf cells so that the ingredients come out easily.

Medium rolling

Rolling/twisting leaves the leaves shrunk and unshaped. By further kneading in hot wind, the leaves become easy to shape at the fine rolling process.

Fine rolling

The leaves are dried and at the same time kneaded in one direction. This process gives green tea’s characteristic slender shape.

Drying

The leaves are dried in the sun to bring out their umami. They can be dried also with agitation in the pan. Now “Aracha” is ready.

Finishing

In the phase of Aracha, the leaves are still irregularly-shaped and moist. It is difficult to maintain the quality. Here comes the need of the finishing process. In this process, “pre-firing, sorting/shaping, firing, and blending” take place in this order. Shipment follows measuring, checking, and packaging. Finishing enables longer storage and enhances the tea flavor.

Pre-firing

Prior to sorting/shaping, the entire Aracha leaves undergo firing (roasting, etc.).

Sorting/shaping

Aracha is sieved to remove fine stems and sort the leaves by the size. And the following processes such as cutting shape the leaves.

Firing

Drying once again with fire improves the shelf life of the leaves and brings out the tea aroma.

Blending

As the final adjustment, blending can equalize the composition and quality of the tea. Blending makes a well-balanced tea.

Kamairicha’s production areas and features

Kamairicha came from China to Japan around the 15^th century. Most Japanese teas of that time were Kamairicha until the manufacturing process of Sencha (steeped green tea) was established. While “the pan-roasting method” is still the mainstream in China, Kamairicha accounts for less than 1 % of Japanese tea production. Main production areas in Japan are concentrated in Kyushu District, especially in Saga Prefecture, Nagasaki Prefecture, and Miyazaki Prefecture.

“Kamairicha” is featured by a pleasant aroma, called “Kamaka (pan aroma),” resulting from pan-roasting. It has a refreshing flavor with less astringency and attracts you by a light, transparent golden liquid color.

“Jasmine tea” is known for its elegant and gentle fragrance. Do you know how they flavor it? There are several processes to flavor it. Time and effort are spent. Jasmine tea is one of the teas called “flowering teas.” There are many other “flowering teas.” Let us take a look at various kinds of flowering teas and how tea leaves are flavored.

Features of flowering tea process

“Flowering tea” is a white tea (bai cha), blue tea (qing cha/oolong tea), green tea, or other tea flavored with flowers and fruits. Some are flavored by mixing raw flowers into tea leaves as with jasmine tea. Others are flavored by mixing dried petals into tea leaves as with osmanthus tea. Rose tea is brewed only with dried flowers, not using tea leaves.

From picking fresh leaves to shipment

In the case of jasmine tea, the plucked fresh leaves are processed to Aracha (crude tea) and then scented with alternatively layered flowers. Once flavoring has been done, flowers are removed and the packaged products are shipped.

How to make Aracha

It is common to use green tea, but in China white tea and blue tea are also used as follows.

Flowering tea is generally green-tea-based. Green tea has the property of “absorbing scents” and fits to make flowering tea more than other types of tea. In China, however, besides green tea, white tea and blue tea are also used for some types and brands.

1. Flavoring (In the case of jasmine tea)

Let us see the example of jasmine tea for the flavoring process.

You can add a scent only by directly mixing flowers with tea leaves. However, jasmine tea is valued higher when the leaves are flavored for a longer time. It may take several months to make a high-grade product.

2. Sorting

Unopened jasmine flowers are chosen and hand-plucked one by one. The plucked buds are arranged and laid at a well-ventilated place until they open a little. Then, the buds are sieved to sort out only opening flowers. It is because opening flowers are giving out the strongest scent and suited for flavoring.

3. Layering

After sorting, the flowers and the tea leaves are placed alternatively in several layers to let the flower’s fragrance permeate the leaves.

4. Flavoring

During the flavoring process, the fragrance permeates the leaves with the flower moisture. It is important to keep a proper amount of moisture in this process.

5. Radiation

The plucked flowers keep breathing, which generates respiration heat. The increasing heat withers the flowers and spoils the fragrance. To release the heat, the pile needs to be put down once. After the temperature decreases, the flowers are mixed into the tea leaves to uniform the fragrance.

6. Separation

The withered flowers and the tea leaves are separated through the siever. The tea leaves contain the moisture from the flowers now and need to be dried a little to stabilize the quality. The key is to dry slowly so that the flower scent is not blown off. The withered flowers are replaced by fresh ones. The processes from layering to separation are repeated. The number of repetition is generally three times, but a higher-grade product will require more.

7. Finishing

Lastly, a small amount of fresh flowers are added and the packaged products are shipped. In fact, a higher–grade product is finished with fewer flowers. You can assume a product with a lot of flowers is low-graded.

About Jasmine tea and Flowering tea

Jasmine tea became the most popular because it was considered best-suited for flowering tea with its strong scent and good durability. It accounts for 80% of the production of flowering tea and still enjoys great popularity as a beloved flowering tea. Flowering tea was originally meant to entertain us with its fragrance, but some types of flowering tea plays the role of herbal medicines. In Japan, its health benefits are gaining publicity and various flowering teas are becoming available besides jasmine tea. In addition, an eye-pleasing type of “flowering tea” called “art tea” is coming on the scene. You can enjoy “flowering tea” in various ways. Many “flowering teas” are easy to drink. Why not find your favorite ones?

Do you know your daily oolong tea is called “semi-oxidized tea?” In fact, most of the Chinese teas are categorized as “semi-oxidized tea.” Let us take a closer look at “semi-oxidized tea” and its manufacturing process and methods.

Features of semi-oxidized tea process (Chinese tea process)

“Semi-oxidized tea” is a tea whose fermentation (oxidization) has been stopped halfway. Tea leaves originally contain oxidative enzymes. The enzymes start oxidative fermentation right after harvesting. Stopping fermentation (oxidization) by heating at a suitable timing lends a unique color and flavor to semi-oxidized tea.

Fermentation or oxidation?

In the world of tea, fermentation refers to oxidation by oxidative enzymes in the tea leaf, not microbial or bacterial fermentation as in miso and yogurt. Oxidation refers to the reaction of enzymes with oxygen to change the original ingredients. Some teas such as post-fermented tea utilize microbes for fermentation, but as a rule, fermentation in the tea industry means oxidization.

Different types of semi-oxidized tea

Semi-oxidized tea is classified according to the degree of oxidation as follows:

Types of semi-oxidized tea

· White tea (bai cha): bai mudan, baihao yinzhen, etc.

· Yellow tea (huang cha): mengding huangya, junshan yinzhen, etc.

· Blue tea (qing cha): oolong tea, tieguanyin tea, etc.

Different oxidization degrees

“White tea” is a tea made from very young downy leaves still covered by white hair. It is featured by the short oxidation process. In addition, it is the only semi-oxidized tea that skips the rolling process.

“Yellow tea” is a tea that has been slightly oxidized during the Aracha (crude tea) phase. It undergoes the oxidation process, “menhuang,” which utilizes the leaf’s heat and moisture after heating treatment.

“Blue tea” is a representative type of semi-oxidized tea. It is called “blue tea” from the appearance of oxidized leaves that have turned reddish-brown and unoxidized leaves that remain green mixed together. Oolong tea is also a type of “blue tea.”

From picking fresh leaves to shipment

Every tea manufacturing starts from tea leaf picking called “plucking.” In the case of Chinese tea, unlike Japanese tea, tea leaves with a wider opening are to be picked. The picked leaves undergo withering, oxidization, rolling, drying, etc. to become “Aracha” and go through the finishing process at a finishing factory to be shipped.

How to make Aracha

There are various steps according to the type of tea. For example, in the case of ordinary oolong tea, the manufacturing method consists of sun-withering (shaiqing), indoor-withering (liangqing), rotary oxidization (yaoqing), pan-roasting (shaqing), wrapping (bao rou), rolling, and drying in this order to become Aracha.

1. Sun-withering (shaiqing)

The leaves are sun-dried in fine weather to be withered. The withering tank’s hot wind is also used in case of bad weather, but sun-dried ones are graded better in general.

2. Indoor-withering (lianqing)

Sun-withering makes the leaf temperature higher. The leaves need to be spread and cooled down on the indoor shelf before going to the next process.

3. Rotary oxidization (yaoqing)

The leaves are rotated in a bamboo basket to damage the leaf edges. Enzymatic oxidization gets activated from the damaged parts. The edges turn reddish-brown, while the inside of the leaf remains green. Now the leaves are semi-oxidized.

4. Pan-roasting (shaqing)

Oxidization is stopped at a right moment by roasting the leaves in the pan. The mainstream is hand-roasting with a tilted pan, but machine-roasting is coming on the scene nowadays.

5. Rolling

As with Japanese tea, the leaves are kneaded under pressure. The process evenly spreads the leaf moisture so that the leaf ingredients get easy to come out.

6. Wrapping (bao rou)

The tea leaves are wrapped in a cloth roughly about 20 by 20 inches and shaped by squeezing and narrowing down in a rolling way. This process and the following drying process are repeated about 20 times.

7. Drying

The tightened bundle gets loosened and dried to remove the leaf moisture. Drying should take place slowly so that the leaves will not revert to the original shape by rapid drying. Then, the leaves are kept in a hemp bag to be transported to a finishing factory.

Finishing

The leaves become Aracha after drying, but the leaves at this phase are not enough to be a product. Aracha needs to undergo “finishing” at the end.

8. Drying/Firing

Aracha is slowly roasted for the final adjustment of the leaf moisture. Roasting to a preferred degree brings out a nice flavor.

This completes the oolong tea process.