Regional Teas - Chapter 01

The use of the names of the tea-growing regions of Sri Lanka is strictly restricted and controlled. Only teas that conform to a registered, legal definition of origin and manufacture can bear the name of a given district. First, the tea must have been grown entirely within a particular ‘agro-climatic region’ (the technical term for ‘district’). This usually implies a particular altitude range as well; for example, tea from Uva district will have been grown at an altitude between 1,000 and 1,600m (3,000-5,000ft.) above sea level, while Nuwara Eliya tea will have been cultivated at a higher altitude range, averaging 2,000m (6,000ft). Secondly, the tea has to have been ‘manufactured’ within the district. Fresh tea-leaf does not travel well it has to be processed within a short period, and every large estate has its own factory dedicated to this operation. While the regional definition permits some latitude regarding the actual processes of manufacture, most Ceylon tea is still made according to traditional methods, which are deemed by experts to produce an end-product of the highest quality. Since 1975, the award and usage of regional ‘appellations’ has been administered by the Sri Lanka Tea Board, the central administrative and regulatory authority for the Ceylon tea industry. The Board sets the standards and regulations with which all tea exported from Sri Lanka must comply. Among these are minimum standards of quality and purity; additionally, to qualify for a district appellation, the tea must conform to the specifications and standards pertaining to that region. The discovery of effect of the diverse climate on tea production has resulted in manufacture of an array of fine teas which are unique to each agro climatic district in Sri Lanka and also are not found anywhere else in the world. Teas produced in these agro climatic regions are known world over as Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula, Uva and Uda Pussallawa in high grown area, Kandy in the mid country, Ruhuna and Sambaragamuwa in the low country area of Sri Lanka.

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KENYAN TEA MANUFACTURING PROCESS

👉Black Tea manufacture: Withering: The objective of withering is to reduce the moisture in the t ealeaf by up to 70% (varies from region to region). Tea is laid out on a wire mesh in troughs. Air is then passed through the tea removing the moisture in a uniform way. This process takes around 12 to 17 hours. At the end of this time the leaf is limp and pliable and so will roll well. Rolling: Tea is placed into a rolling machine, which rotates horizontally on the rolling table. This action creates the twisted wiry looking tealeaves. During the rolling process the leaves are also broken open, which starts the third process - oxidisation. Oxidisation: Once rolling is complete, the tea is either put into troughs or laid out on tables whereby the enzymes inside the tealeaf come in to contact with the air and start to oxidise. This creates the flavour, colour and strength of the tea. It is during this process that the tealeaf changes from green, through light ...

TEA TASTING - Chapter 01

TEA TASTING - Chapter 01 Tea tasting, much like wine tasting, uses similar steps – visual, smell, taste and touch. A lot about a tea can be told by examining the dry leaves. Gently press some dry leaves in your hand – most new teas are a little springier and less likely to crumble than older teas. Tea tasting is the process in which a trained taster determines the quality of a particular tea. Due to climatic conditions, topography, manufacturing process, and different clones of the Camellia sinensis plant (tea), the final product may have vastly differing flavours and appearance. These differences can be tasted by a trained taster in order to ascertain the quality prior to sale or possibly blending tea. It is the taster who describes and values tea. His description of the liquor is based on taste. In its widest sense, which includes aroma, taste is a very complex property that has so far not been assessed chemically. A taster may deal with several hundred tea samples in a d...

KENYAN PURPLE TEA💜🍃☕

Purple tea is a special type of tea produced mostly in Kenya, and smaller amounts in Japan, China and India. Unlike yellow, green, oolong, black, dark or white tea, purple tea is not a tea type–it’s a cultivar called TRFK 306/1 that can be used for making all types of tea. It’s a tea that contains same anti oxidants as purplish and blueish fruits such as blueberries, red cabbage or chokeberries – anthocyanins. In fact, purple tea contains very high levels of anthocyanin – 135 times more than regular green tea. However, purple tea doesn’t brew into a cup of purple-colored tea. The name comes from the fresh tea leaves of a tea plant that have a distinguishable purple hue. Naturally purple or blue color in teas is very rare, such as deep blue intense color of a herbal Butterfly Pea Flower tea.

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