In preparing unfermented tea, the oxidizing enzymes are killed by steamblasting the freshly plucked leaf in perforated drums or by roasting it in hot iron pans prior to rolling. The leaf is then subjected to further heating and rolling until it turns dark green and takes a bluish tint. The leaves are finally dried to a moisture content of 3 to 4 percent and are either crushed into small pieces or ground to a powder.

With the inactivation of polyphenol oxidase, the polyphenols are not oxidized and therefore remain colourless, allowing the processed leaf to remain green. The absence of theaflavins and thearubigins in the finished leaf also gives the beverage a weaker flavour than black tea.

Matcha, a powdered green tea of Japanese origin by way of China that is popular among tea connoisseurs everywhere, is grown according to strict rules. Matcha must be taken from shade-grown tea plants, which have heightened levels of chlorophyll and have a bright green colour, and only the buds and top three layers of the young tea plant (Camellia sinensis) are harvested. The tea leaves are steamed to halt the oxidation process, then deveined and ground in stone mills. Because of such laborious and exacting production standards, matcha is among the most expensive kinds of teas on the market.

Oolong tea

After a brief withering stage, the leaf is lightly rolled by hand until it becomes red and fragrant. For oolong it is then fermented for about one-half, and for pouchong for one-quarter, of the time allowed for black tea. Fermentation is stopped by heating in iron pans, and the leaf is subjected to more rolling and heating until it is dried.

Sorting and grading

The first step in packaging tea is grading it by particle size, shape, and cleanliness. This is carried out on mechanical sieves or sifters fitted with meshes of appropriate size. With small-sized teas in demand, some processed teas are broken or cut again at this stage to get a higher proportion of broken grades. Undesirable particles, such as pieces of tough stalk and fibre, are removed by hand or by mechanical extractor. Winnowing by air removes dust, fibres, and fluff.

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Packing

Teas are packed in airtight containers in order to prevent absorption of moisture, which is the principal cause of loss of flavour during storage. Packing chests are usually constructed of plywood, lined with aluminum foil and paper, and sealed with the same material. Also used are corrugated cardboard boxes lined with aluminum foil and paper or paper sacks lined with plastic.

Blended teas are sold to consumers as loose tea, which is packed in corrugated paper cartons lined with aluminum foil, in metal tins, and in fancy packs such as metallized plastic sachets, or they are sold in tea bags made of special porous paper. Tea bags are mainly packed with broken-grade teas.

Instant tea

Instant teas are produced from black tea by extracting the liquor from processed leaves, tea wastes, or undried fermented leaves, concentrating the extract under low pressure, and drying the concentrate to a powder by freeze-drying, spray-drying, or vacuum-drying. Low temperatures are used to minimize loss of flavour and aroma. Instant green teas are produced by similar methods, but hot water is used to extract liquor from powdered leaves. Because all instant teas absorb moisture, they are stored in airtight containers or bottles.

Blending

Tea sold to the consumer is a blend of as many as 20 to 40 teas of different characteristics, from a variety of estates, and from more than one country. Price is an important factor, with cheap teas (called fillers) used to round off a blend and balance cost. Blends are often designed to be of good average character without outstanding quality, but distinctive blends—for example, with a flavour of seasonal Ceylon tea or the pungency and strength of Assam tea—are also made.

Brewing

A tea infusion is best made by pouring water just brought to the boil over dry tea in a warm teapot and steeping it from three to five minutes. The liquor is separated from the spent leaves and may be flavoured with milk, sugar, or lemon.

Tasting

Professional tasters, sampling tea for the trade, taste but do not consume a light brew in which the liquor is separated from the leaf after five to six minutes. The appearance of both the dry and infused leaf is observed, and the aroma of vapour, colour of liquor, and creaming action (formation of solids when cooled) are assessed. Finally the liquor is taken into the mouth with a sucking noise, swirled around the tongue, brought into contact with the palate, cheek, and gums, and then drawn to the back of the mouth and up to the olfactory nerve in the nose before being expectorated. The liquor is thus felt, tasted, and smelled. Tasters have a large glossary of terms for the evaluation of tea, but the less-demanding consumer drinks it as a thirst quencher and stimulant and for its distinctive sour-harsh taste.