A good cup of tea, not only should smell good but leaves an unforgettable aroma lingering on your taste buds. There are many varieties of tea, the difference in the place of production and the tea-making technique, therefore even if it belongs to the same type of tea, the aroma, taste, attributes, and effects will be different, making each tea very unique and special. Tea refers to the sprouts or newly-grown leaves of Theaceae plants. Tea was a detoxicating agent in ancient times, while later tea applies in eating and drinking. Depending on different production processes, tea can be categorised into six categories: green tea, black tea, white tea, yellow tea, Oolong tea and black tea. Photos courtesy of Tea Heals.
Different natural environments such as climate, soil and altitude can produce tea with different qualities, aromas, tastes and aftertastes.
After sun withering, tea leaves will be placed indoor. The withering process damages the cells in the edges. Controlling the length of indoor withering let tea leaves produce different aromas and tastes from the degree of oxidation.
Fixation refers to stopping the changing in flavour at high temperature. Remaining the tea polyphenols will help to remove the bitter taste in leaves and release a greater aroma.
Kneading the tea leaves help the fragments to release easily during brewing. Tea leaves are soften after fixation, that helps shaping them into a curly form during rolling and makes packaging easier.
Controlling the pressure in rolling creates tea leaves with different flavours. Light rolling produces tea with a light aroma; hard rolling produces tea with a strong taste.