Ringtons Tea & Coffee

This section is a bit technical, and goes into the detail. If this is what you want, you're obviously in the right place, but if you just want a basic idea of how different teas are made, you might prefer the 'Tea Manufacture' page.

HOW TEA IS MADE

This is very much our own summary. We don't pretend to be experts on chemistry, but think we have a good grasp of what's going on - we are enthusiasts rather than scientists. Apologies if we've got anything wrong: please let us know if it's something fundamental (and please don't if it's not). What's here should certainly be enough to explain why there are so many types and flavours of tea.

All types of tea are made from the same basic raw material, freshly picked tea leaves. There are slightly different strains of tea bush, but they are not important for understanding the processes involved. The green leaves contain two important constituents, separated from each other in the cell structure. How these two groups interact is the critical factor in determining what type of tea is finally produced. The groups are polyphenols and and an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase. If these groups come into contact, the polyphenols start to oxidise, changing their colours and flavours and eventually creating black tea. The production of all tea types is built around preventing or controlling this reaction.

For some reason this oxidation reaction is usually referred to in the trade as 'fermentation', and we have used this word on our diagram. We know it's not really a fermentation reaction. Just to confuse things, one type of tea does undergo a genuine fermentation - the weird and wonderful Pu Erh from Yunnan.

White Tea

White tea is the simplest form of tea, but authentic production is limited to Fujian province in China, and to a specific strain of tea bush. The young shoots on these bushes are very large, and covered with soft white hairs. The shoots and young leaves are picked and left to dry naturally, before being baked gently to bring out their flavour. The leaves are then separated into different grades. Because the leaves are not rolled or broken, the cells remain intact as the leaves dry and the flavour is mild and mellow. Producers in other countries are now experimenting with this style of manufacture, and producing some interesting results. We may feature some of these in the future.

Green Tea

There are hundreds of different varieties of green tea, and in China every district has its own specialities. All green teas have one thing in common - the fresh leaves are heated or steamed to disable the cell enzymes, allowing the leaves to be pressed, rolled and twisted without losing their natural inherent flavours. This is the art of green tea making, affecting both the appearance of the leaf and its flavour. The final baking process varies according to how the green leaves have been initially handled.

Oolong Tea

Oolong (or Wu Long) teas have a sense of mystery and almost magic about them, and are the most highly prized teas in China. The methods of manufacture vary, but all are based on bruising the green leaves slightly to allow oxidation and the development of flavour. In some cases, the leaves are gently rolled and squeezed in large cotton sacks for several hours, during which the leaves are twisted into small balls. The degree of oxidation determines whether the resulting tea is light or dark, and a final critical baking process brings out the rich flavour. In some cases the teas are re-baked to intensify this flavour.

Perhaps the most important aspect of Oolong teas is their unique ability to be re-infused repeatedly, with no adverse impact on the taste. In fact the third and fourth infusions usually have the best flavour, and the leaves can be infused up to seven times in most cases; in China the first infusion is usually discarded.

Black Tea

The familiar taste of black tea comes from the fermentation (oxidation) stage, which the manufacturing process is designed to optimise. The wilted green leaves are rolled or crushed to rupture the cells, allowing the release of the enzyme and starting the oxidation process. During this stage, the leaves change from bright green to orange and finally reddish-brown in colour, and new flavours develop. These flavours can vary widely, depending on the green leaves, the rolling or crushing process and the length of time the leaves are allowed to oxidise. This process is stopped by oven-drying the tea.

Because the rolling (‘orthodox') process is quite gentle, the flavours develop slowly and become subtle and complex; the skill of the tea maker is the key element in the production of top quality large leaf teas.

Small leaf teas are made using a crushing ('CTC') process, which creates a much higher degree of cell rupture. The leaves oxidise much more quickly and completely, resulting in stronger flavours.

Pu Erh

Pu Erh (or Puer) tea sits in a category of its own, although we have included it in the green tea section of the shop. Pu Erh starts its life as a green tea, but is then moistened, starting a secondary fermentation process which makes the tea warm and develops very different flavours. This tea is then pressed and dried, and left to mature for as long as possible. In China, well-aged Pu Erh is extremely valuable (we are talking 10-20 years or more). Generally speaking, the older the tea, the milder and sweeter the flavour, but ultimately it all depends on the qualty of the initial tea and processing. We would describe the flavour of Pu Erh as mild, slightly sweet and slightly musty. It has become very popular as a 'health tea'.