About Tea:From the Fields

The Method

The methods used to make tea have remained nearly unchanged for thousands of years, owing in no small part to the delicate nature of the tea plant and its leaves. A large tea estate will typically employ hundreds of workers to hand pluck tea leaves, each with a large basket slung over her back to collect the tea. Plucking is a skilled art, and each plucker is paid not only by the weight of the leaves gathered but also the quality.

After the tea is plucked, it's processed in a variety of different ways in order to make different kinds of teas. Depending on how long the tea is allowed to oxidize (or ferment), the taste can vary greatly. Green teas are completely unfermented, preserving the tea's natural color and taste. Oolong tea is only allowed to ferm for a short period of time, while black teas are fermented for a day or longer.