History Tea_processing

1 history

1.1 green
1.2 yellow , fermented
1.3 oolong , white
1.4 black

history

an 1850 british engraving showing tea cultivation , tea leaf processing

the history of tea processing corresponds intimately role tea played in chinese society , preferred methods of consumption in ancient chinese society. variations of these processing techniques still used in modern tea processing albeit being far more mechanized.

green

the ancient chinese society first encountered tea plant in southern china , processed medicinal herb use in chinese herbology. processing technique used process fresh tea leaves steam fresh tea leaves , dry them preservation, ancient chinese form of tea leaf processing. processing method perfected near end of han dynasty (206 bce-220 ce) , produced dried tea classified today green tea , quite similar modern japanese sencha. consumption, dried tea leaves either decocted water around other herbs, or ground powder taken straight, or in liquid in manner of matcha.

with increase of tea s use in chinese herbology, production methods changed, processed green tea leaves not dried after steaming. rather steamed tea leaves first pulverized paste form, paste formed in moulds , dried brick tea, technique described lu yu in work classic of tea. tender leaves , leaf buds not used, older mature tea leaves preferred tea production. tea bricks produced mature whole leaves, typically required use of cooked rice slurry (米湯) bind tea brick together. preference of producing tea in brick form possibly stems fact can more transported , stored.

yellow , fermented

this use of steam in fixation (殺青) tea leaf enzymes important step in processing tea, leaves cooled down , undergo further processing. less tightly controlled methods of in past resulted in creation of yellow tea when tea leaves over-steamed fixation or not spread out, doused water , cooled. although green tea popular in lu yu s time, considered yellow tea superior green.

even when leaves cooled, if left in piles (渥堆) long before processing, leaves begin undergo microbial fermentation produce post-fermented tea . technique similar composting, albeit tightly controlled, , still used in production of liu tea (安徽六安籃茶) , more introduced production of ripe type pu-erh tea. production of tea in brick forms , storage resulted in type of post-fermented tea, produced aging. long transport , storage times of day unwittingly allowed tea bricks undergo prolonged exposure elements , various microflora, resulted in aging, oxidation, , fermentation of green brick teas. brick of green tea had been stored , aged post-fermented tea charred on charcoal rid of layer of detritus, dust, , shiny multicoloured growths before being broken down powder, cooked, , consumed. end of tang dynasty (618-907ce) green, yellow, , post-fermented tea commonly used in china , moved purely being used in herbology becoming beverage drunk pleasure.

oolong , white

the tang dynasty period when oolong tea first developed in fujian province. produced in thin brick form, known under name beiyuan tea (北苑茶). importance of withering process producing oolong tea described poet huang furen (皇甫冉) in poem 送陸鴻漸棲霞寺采茶 , indicated processing of tea leaves not simple task, requiring scaling of steep cliffs pick choicest leaves , withering of leaves under sun , warm winds ( 采茶非采菉，遠遠上層崖。布葉春風暖，盈筐白日斜... ).

white tea (白茶) developed in fujian province first mentions in song dynasty document treatise on tea, delicate buds used producing white tea, difficulty in producing it, taste, , rarity lauded. production method of white tea described ming dynasty author tian yiheng (田艺蘅) in zhuquan xiaopin (煮泉小品) (produced in 33rd year of jiajing emperor) regarding fuding white tea (福鼎白茶). in work, stated tea buds have undergone fixation panning on flames (as green tea) second white tea allowed dry under sun, since more natural in taste , lacks flavours imparted smoke , flames ( 芽茶以火作者为次，生晒者为上, 亦更近自然，且断烟火气耳 )

black

the technique producing black tea first developed during late ming dynasty wuyishan, fujian either resulting over-oxidation of tea-leaves during manufacture of oolong tea or indirectly methods of manufacturing green , white teas. in 1600s, tea producers in wuyi mountains began kneading sun-withered tea leaves macerate them, allowed them dry under sun, reaching full oxidation , producing gongfu black tea (工夫紅茶). when there insufficient sun , temperatures low, withered leaves processed indoors in warmed rooms , allowed oxidize, smoked dry on pine fires producing lapsang souchong. according oral traditions of region, discovery of lapsang souchong processing due military troops passing through wuyi s tea factory during last years of ming dynasty, causing delays tea leaf processing resulting in oxidized leaf producer salvaged drying on fire built pine branches. qing dynasty, both lapsang souchong , gongfu black tea recognized in china , noted in records on yiwu mountain (武夷山志) scholar dong tiangong (董天工).