Published on 26th February, 2010

Visit a tea factory in Sri Lanka

A Visit to a Tea Factory

If you are intent on buying Ceylon Tea it is important to understand the perfection needed in its processing, the specific manner in which it is graded and assessed. The best way to achieve this is through a visit to a tea plantation, specifically a tea factory, which can easily be arranged.

There are several ways in which to purchase Sri Lanka’s most celebrated gift to the world, Ceylon Tea. If your tour of the island takes in a tea plantation, then there is no better place to buy than at source. The packaging and labelling may be minimal, but the fresh taste is guaranteed to be phenomenal. However, it is also possible to buy unblended estate teas in Colombo. And you can always buy tea at the airport just before your departure.

One of the main visual impressions of Sri Lanka’s hill country taken home by travellers is the sight of Tamil women plucking tea clad in brightly clad saris. It is said that only small and agile feminine hands, and the patience of the female temperament, can achieve high yield plucking. However, this is incidental, for the sociological and economic reasons behind the tradition of women pluckers are more significant.

The fact remains that plucking tea requires specific skills, in particular dexterity. The women move between the tea plants, which are spaced roughly one metre apart and regularly pruned to a height of one and a half metres, to aid plucking. With amazing swiftness and precision they gather with both hands only the youngest and topmost leaves by snapping the stem with a sharp movement of the index and middle fingers.

A “fine plucking” of the best teas removes only the terminal bud on the stem covered with a fine white down, accompanied by the first two leaves below it. Most common teas are produced from a “coarse plucking”, which includes the bud and three, four or even five leaves.

As you will witness inside the tea factory, the secret of making good quality tea is in the perfection of the various stages in the processing of the raw leaf. When the leaves are brought to the tea estate factory freshly plucked, they are first softened by a withering process that reduces the moisture content by half and enables them to be rolled without breaking.

You will then watch the withered leaves being fed into a rolling machine composed of heavy metal disks rotating in opposite directions. Rolling breaks down the cell walls so that the enzymes that give tea its distinctive flavour are released. This is followed by roll breaking; a process that breaks up the twisted balls of leaves allows them to cool.

Next comes fermentation, the crucial operation that endows black tea with its colour, and above all, the subtlety of its flavour. It is not known exactly what alchemy produces the flavours, for certain cellular reactions during fermentation have never been fully understood or even identified. What is known is that fermentation is produced by exposing the leaves to a highly moist atmosphere (at least 90% humidity) after having been laid out on broad slabs of cement, ceramic, or aluminium. During this time the leaves absorb oxygen until they turn from green to a copper-like colour.

The leaves are then fired in an enormous machine comprising a drier and a conveyor belt with a series of trays that exposes the leaves to a temperature of at least 175 °F for roughly 20 minutes. This arrests fermentation and dries the leaves so that the moisture content is reduced to 2%. Drying also requires skills of timing. If it is too brief, the tea may become mouldy, if too long, the tea will lose much of its flavour.

Sri Lanka basically produces black tea (i.e. tea that has been withered, rolled, fermented, fired and sorted into grades), which is known for its aromatic, amber liquor and its rich, full, astringent flavour. Once beyond such generalizations, however, it quickly becomes clear that not all black teas are alike. The secret of their diversity is encoded in obscure initials on the packaging that identify the grade of leaf. When buying Ceylon Tea, therefore, it is essential to understand these initials.

Flowery Orange Pekoe (FOP) – Among whole-leaf black teas, the subtlest quality is called Flowery Orange Pekoe or FOP (also called Golden Tips). This refers to teas harvested early and extremely carefully, which are composed only of unopened buds and the first two leaves beneath the bud. The more tips there are, the more expensive the tea.

The word “pekoe” comes from the Chinese pak-ho, which alludes to the fine hair of the newborn infant and was applied to young tea buds still covered with light down. “Orange” has nothing to do with colour or flavour but refers to the princes of Orange. The word thus conveys the idea of noble quality and was probably first used by Dutch merchants to give distinction to the product.

This is an afternoon tea, a mellow brew of great distinction.

Orange Pekoe (OP) – This is the product of an equally careful but later harvest. At this stage of growth the tea no longer has light tips but the leaves are longer and more elegant. These leaves are rolled lengthwise during processing and measure from eight to fifteen millimetres.

This is an afternoon tea with a fruity flavour.

Flowery Pekoe (FP) – Flowery Pekoe is whole leaf black tea with the leaves rolled lengthwise. This is a well-balanced tea whose liquor is both full-bodied and pungent.

This aromatic tea is ideal for both morning and afternoon.

Broken Orange Pekoe (BOP) – For the strength and tannic acid taste usually sought in an early morning cup of tea, a brew made from broken leaves is suitable. The finest broken leaf teas, Broken Orange Pekoe (BOP), come from high quality harvests and may contain golden tips. BOP is used in the typical blended teas found on the supermarket shelf

This is a morning tea with plenty of flavour and strength.

Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings (BOPF) – “Fannings” are crushed leaves that produce a stronge beverage with plenty of body. In fact these teas are so full bodied they can be considered a substitute for coffee. Purists frown upon having milk with tea, but this addition is strongly recommended where Fannings are concerned.

This is a full-bodied morning and after-meal tea.

So now you should know enough about Ceylon Tea to buy with confidence. Be aware, though, that there is no point in trying to economize by buying a large quantity of Ceylon Tea. It is a fragile commodity, and must be stored in an airtight box or jar away from dampness and light and consumed within a period of twelve months.

Source: srilanka.travel/index.php

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