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“Tea-time is a chance to slow down, sit back and appreciate our surroundings” and where else can the best tea come from other than Sri Lanka or Ceylon itself.
Ceylon Tea is a cherished name among the global tea drinkers for the finest quality, orthodox methods of harvesting and production, and purity from chemicals. While Ceylon Black Tea comes from the heart of the country’s tea production, time is high for Sri Lankan Ceylon Tea manufacturers to diversify types of tea, specialties, and flavors.
In Sri Lanka, formerly called Ceylon, tea production is one of the main income sources of the country. It is the fourth largest producer of tea in the world, and the second largest exporter. Around 20% of the tea sold around the world is produced in Sri Lanka.
How is Tea Processed?
First it is ‘Plucked’. This involves taking only the upper foliage of a branch. The general method is the top two leaves and the bud.
The raw leaves are then ‘Weighed’ as there is a required benchmark for plucking.
The next step is ‘Withering’ which is to the effect of drying. The leaves are fluffed and spread on a large tray. They are left in a well-ventilated room for almost a day during which time they lose about two thirds of their moisture.
Next, the withered leaves are ‘Rolled’, mechanical process where the tea cells are ruptured, and the enzymes are released.
Then broken leaves are spread out in the ‘Aeration’ process to bring the enzymes into contact with air. The time the leaves are exposed depends on what product is desired.
After aeration, the leaves are ‘Dried’ in a desiccator or firing chamber. This is to prevent further chemical change. Here, the leaves lose all moisture, they darken in colour and shrink in size.
Grading comes after this, where the leaves are graded according to flavor and strength. Quality has nothing to do with it. Please refer the below ‘Tea Grades’ section for more.
The final steps are ‘Bulk Packing’ and ‘Tea Bag’ packing.
‘Ocey’ taps the world’s best tea markets just to bring the best available products while opening wider venturing paths to our customers and clients.