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Types of Tea

3.0    Types of Tea

Tea processing is five steps; and some made tea don’t undergo all these steps. The 5 basic steps or stages are Plucking, Withering, Rolling, Fermentation (Oxidizing) and Drying.

Crucial process which define the type or categories of tea is fermentation. From this processes, comes the 5 basic types of made tea i.e. Black, Green, White, Oolong and Pu’erh. (Tea Class).

Black Tea goes through all the 5 basic processing steps with complete oxidation i.e. fermentation. The brewed liquor of a black tea ranges between dark brown and deep red. Black teas offer the strongest flavors.

Green Tea is plucked, withered and rolled but it is not oxidized or fermented. Oxidation is prevented by applying heat. The leaves are then given final firing or drying to fully dry them, after which they are done. The liquor of a green tea is typically a green or light yellow, and flavors range from toasty, grassy to fresh steamed greens with mild, vegetable-like astringency.

White tea is essentially unprocessed tea. The name is derived from fuzzy white “down” that appears on the unopened or recently opened bud. White tea is simply plucked and allowed to wither dry. White teas produce very pale green or ywllow liquor and are the most delicate in flavor and aroma.

Oolong tea is one of the most time consuming tea to manufacture. It undergoes all the basic processing steps with rolling and oxidizing done repeatedly. Oolong typically have much complex flavor than green or white tea, with smooth, soft astringency and rich in floral or fruity flavors.

Pu’erh tea undergoes a process similar to green tea but before the leaf is dried, it’s aged either as loose-leaf tea or pressed into dense cakes and decorative cake. Pu;erh is a fermented tea. The aging process lasts from few months to several years. A vey old, well-stored pu’erh are considered “living tea”, just like wine. There are prized for their earthy, woodsy or musty aroma and rich, smooth taste. (Tea Class).

                       SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION OF TEA

KINGDOM	Plantae
ORDER	Ericales
FAMILY	Theaceae
GENUS	Camellia
SPECIES	C. Sinensis
VARIATIES	C. sinensis var sinensis, C. sinensis var assamica, C. sinensis var pubilimba C. sinensis var dihungensis

A Guide : Simple Plant Deficiency

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Tea Planting And Cultivation - Part 1 & 2

TEA PLANTING AND CULTIVATION

It is not particularly hard to make tea grow. As long as it gets plenty of rain and temperatures and do not vary much year round, Camellia sinensis is a robust shrub, perennial crop which is able to tolerate a fairly wide range of more or less tropical climates, altitudes and soil conditions. Most important aspect is the management input and practices.

1.0  Camellia sinensis is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce tea. Tea is a perennial crop. The life of tea is more than 100 years, but the economically useful age of tea bush is less than 100 years, depending on type of tea planted, climatic condition and estate practices.(Barman, 2008). It is of the genus Camellia, of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. Common names include "tea plant", "tea shrub", and "tea tree" (not to be confused with Melaleuca alternifolia, the source of tea tree oil.

Two major varieties are grown: Camellia sinensis var. sinensis for Chinese teas, and Camellia sinensis var. assamica for Indian Assam teas.Camellia sinensis is native to East Asia, the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, but it is today cultivated across the world in tropical and subtropical regions.Camellia sinensis is an evergreen shrub or small tree that is usually trimmed or pruned to manageable height when cultivated for its leaves. It has a strong taproot. The flowers are yellow-white, 2.5–4 cm (0.98–1.57 in) in diameter, with 7 to 8 petals.The leaves are 4–15 cm (1.6–5.9 in) long and 2–5 cm (0.79–1.97 in) broad. Fresh leaves contain about 4% caffeine, as well as related compounds including theobromine. The young, light green leaves are preferably harvested for tea production; they have short white hairs on the underside. Older leaves are deeper green. Different leaf ages produce differing tea qualities, since their chemical compositions are different. Usually, the tip (bud) and the first two to three leaves are harvested for processing. This hand picking is repeated every one to two weeks.

Camellia sinensis is mainly cultivated in tropical and subtropical climates, in areas with at least 127 cm or 1270mm (50 inches) of rainfall a year. Tea plants prefer a rich and moist growing location in full to part sun, and can be grown in hardiness zones 7 – 9. Many high quality teas are grown at high elevations, up to 1,500 meters (4,900 feet), as the plants grow more slowly and acquire more flavor.

Tea plants will grow into a tree if left undisturbed, but cultivated plants are pruned to waist height for ease of plucking.

2.0 Tea Cultivation

Tea required a moderately hot and humid climate. Climate influences yield, crop  distribution and quality. Tea grows best on well-drained fertile acid soil on high lands.

Temperature affects tea yield by influencing rate of photosynthesis and controlling growth and dormancy. In general, the ambient temperature within 13o C and 28-32oC is conducive for growth of tea. Low temperature causes slower growth and low yield. Temperature modifies the rate of growth and development due to its impact on photosynthesis, respiration, nutrient intake, enzymes kinetics and relative humidity. At low temperature, the energy available is often too limited to maintain biochemical processes for maintenance of growth. At too high temperature, enzymes becomes inactivated, leading to plant stress. 

Tea grows well on high land with well drained soils having a good depth, acidic pH in the range of 4.5 to 5.5 and more than 2% organic matter. Shallow and compacted sub-soil limit root development and growth. (Tocklai , 2012)

Among factors affecting extension of growth in woody plants are age, development stage (nursery stage, branch formation stage, commercial stage), soil condition, climatic condition and species and genotypes.

2.1 Degraded Tea or Aging Tea

Some old tea fields start to show the following:

• Low yields

• Increasing number of empty spots due to death of weak bushes inclusive of        root disease affected bushes.

• Branches become thin and diseased

• Increase rate of diseases of the top and of the roots

• Increase in the proportion of unproductive (brown and woody( tissues on          the tea plants

• Buds and crown are small and scarce

• Many shoots at the base of the bush, or sprouting up from the ground

However, the problems is probably caused more by bad management or practices rather than by actual age.

2.2 Root Growth

The white-colored feeder roots are most important for absorbing nutrient @ fertilizer. 

The feeder roots are thin, white-colored and have many branches. Most of the feeder roots are located in the top few centimeters of the soil (although about one-third of them are deeper than 30 cm). As they get older, feeder roots get thicker and the color changes from white to cream and finally to red. The older, red-colored roots do not have much ability to absorb.

The starch stored in the roots provide the energy for bud development. So the better the root system, the better the bud and shoot development.

Tea bushes planted from seedlings will usually have somewhat deeper roots than bushes that were grown from cutting. Deeper root system help to resist drought. However, good variety grown from cutting, can have a deeper root system than an ordinary variety grown from seeds.

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