Producing tea is much more than just plucking leaves and drying them. The process
involves a series of steps, each of them equally important, which take the leaves
from the first plucking stage to the finished product.

Every country and region has a distinct way of producing tea. Handmade teas vary the most, from village to village and from maker to maker. However, there are universally accepted production processes that have been used for centuries. During the height of tea production in China, India, Japan, and Korea, tea producers work around the clock. There is a very short window for plucking, and once separated from the plant, the leaf starts to degrade.

TEA PRODUCTION PROCESS

Not all tea types go through the same stages of production. Some have lots of steps, such as black and oolong teas, while others, such as yellow tea, have minimal production. Use the key opposite to find a particular tea type and follow left to right, starting with plucking and moving through the various steps to completion.