Tea Quality
Now that you're an expert on tea types, you're well on your way to tea enlightenment. But before you quit your job to become a world-famous tea farmer, there are a few more things you should know about the complexities of tea.
Tea is a fickle plant and it has the full brunt of nature to contend with. This includes but is not limited to soil, climate, irrigation, drainage, fertilizer and companion crops, shade trees: all the tricks of the agriculture trade are brought into play to moderate the effects of nature. Tea experts will whisper in your ear that the world's best teas come from mountaintops in the clouds, while others will remind you that the hearty Assam breakfast tea thrives at sea level.
Leaves must be picked at optimal times of year. Assam Indian black tea favors July and August. The best Nilgiri Indian black tea is produced around Christmas. Darjeeling Indian black tea loves spring. Generally, whatever the favored season, it is the earlier pickings of that season which are most prized.
Weather conditions during harvesting can make or break a tea crop. The tea factory manager depends on detailed knowledge of the steps of processing to balance those effects. A little forced warm air can save the tea leaves from the moisture of a rainy harvest, for example. Harsh conditions leading up to harvest can be impossible to overcome, and whole seasons' crops can be lost.
Tea quality is also determined by which leaves are plucked. For high-quality or superior-grade green, black and white tea, the youngest, smallest leaves at the end of each shoot, called "tips," are used and make the most expensive teas. Larger and older leaves produce stronger, thus lower-quality, tea.
Leaves are often plucked two to three times a day. The quality of the leaf is influenced by the time of day picked. The best conditions for picking are from first light of dawn until 7 a.m., before the sun fully rises between 7 and 8 or even 9 a.m., and again at sunset when the sun's heat is not very strong. Leaves plucked at midday will result in a lower-grade tea. In order to harvest the leaves and keep damage to a minimum, the picker uses the middle finger and thumb to cut the stem below the chosen leaves. The care taken not to bruise the leaves in the field, as well as the labor to separate out defective material, assures a promising start to mechanical processing. Finally, the finished product must be stored protected from heat, light, air and moisture to preserve its character. Only when the fresh tea is brewed properly and drunk can its ultimate quality be evaluated. Even a low-graded tea leaf can at times produce a nice-tasting tea.