What is Black Tea?

Black tea is the tea that made from young tea leaves and leaf buds from the Camellia sinensis plant. Once picked, the tea leaves are rolled until they start to darken and turn red. Next, the darkened leaves are spread out and allowed to ferment in contact with air (in a cool location) for 2 to 3 days. Once allowed to ferment for a specific amount of time, the leaves are quickly dried and the finished black teas are transferred to airtight containers for storage.

The tea plant is native to Southeast Asia that can grow up to a height of 40 feet, but is usually maintained at a height of two to three feet by regular pruning. The first spring leaf buds, called the first flush, are considered the highest-quality leaves. When the first flush leaf bud is picked, another one grows, which is called the second flush, and this continues until an autumn flush. The older leaves picked farther down the stems are considered to be of poorer quality.


processing of Sprout tea leaf is to alter fresh tea leaf sprout chemical composition in control, so that become product able to peep out the nature of desired at infusion water, like colour, taste and wanted aroma. This target can reach if raw material have good quality and also good way of processing. Way of good processing represent the way of [done/conducted] processing as according to condition of which qualify in each step process and supported by condition of complete machine and equipments and looked after.

There are 2 system in processing black tea, which is CTC (Crushing, tearing, curling) and Orthodox. Both of this processing system have difference, although the yield have same product that is black tea. The difference, for example water rate after wilting, at Orthodox process 52-58% while CTC process 68-76% so that, at draining process, CTC longer than Orthodox and draining temperature at CTC process higher than Orthodox process. Besides, on the duration process oxidize enzymatic time, Orthodox process longer than CTC, so that infusion water tea taste in Orthodox stronger than CTC.