Puerh Black Tea

BLACK TEA

Black tea stops through a production process that consists of four stages: wilting, rolling, fermentation and drying. It has a high theine index, much more than the rest of the processes.

Wilting

The freshly harvested leaves are left to wilt, the highest quality in the shade. Here the sheet becomes flexible enough to be able to roll without breaking. During this process they give off a fragrance reminiscent of sweet apple. It is where the water evaporates in 30% of the leaves, which still maintain their rough shape. There is natural wilting, which is where the leaves are spread on jute-lined supports, wire, or nylon nets for 14 to 18 hours. Modern wilt is done in large tubs of 25 to 30 groupers lined with wire racks and where the leaves are aerated with large fans. This modern process reduces the time immensely, it is estimated that the leaves lose 30% of humidity in about 8 to 12 hours.

Rolled up

The leaves are kneaded with the palms of the hands, with the aim of breaking the cells of the leaves, releasing the juice they contain and the enzymes that are responsible for their putrefaction, thus giving it its characteristic appearance. Today, this operation is carried out with winding machines, which break the cells of the leaves and thus release the essential oils of the plant. It lasts for three hours. The still green leaves are broken with rollers and the cellular juice they secrete combines with the oxygen in the air. (The oxygen in contact with the leaf causes a wilting of the leaves similar to what happens to the apple when it is exposed to the air). A short process that lasts 30 minutes maximum and can be repeated up to 3 times. All leaf stems are carefully removed.

Fermented

The sheets are placed in 2 cm thick layers on inert plates so that they do not contaminate the process with a very humid atmosphere (90-95%) and a constant temperature of 22-28 degrees. The temperature inside the fermentation mass rises until it reaches a maximum and then falls again. When it reaches the maximum temperature is when it is necessary to stop the fermentation process. Too short a fermentation produces greenish brown leaves, giving a green touch. Too long a fermentation gives the leaf a burnt appearance and deprives the infusion of its aroma. The duration of this process ranges from 1.5 to 4.5 hours depending on the type of sheets used. The changes that occur are fundamentally oxidative, and the color, aroma and other characteristics of the infusion result from them. The primitive colorless tannins are transformed into red and brown tannins. The quality of the leaf is directly related to the quality of fermentation it receives.

Drying

It is the operation that aims to stop the fermentation at the desired time, it is carried out with hot and dry air fans, or if machinery is being used, the tea is driven directly to an oven at about 100 degrees of temperature in which it is also air blows are used. The tea at this point retains 50 or 60 percent moisture and when finished, it remains completely dry. At this stage, two parameters must be taken into account: the drying temperature and the duration, a weak drying produces a tea with a high water content and can run the risk of mold, while a strong or long drying takes away its tea. aroma, making a large quantity of substances contained in the leaf insoluble.

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Black tea has its own classification:

Small Leaf is called (FP or PEKOE)

Broken and thick (FBOP)

Broken Fine (GFBOP or GBOP)

Tea Powder (BOPF, OP) or (PD) = Grades used for Tea Bags