Table of Contents
What is plucking of tea leaves?
Plucking is the first step in the manufacturing process of tea and refers to the harvesting by hand of the tea plant. The plucking process occurs when the tea bush “flushes” or pushes out new leaf shoots. For a fine black or green tea, the pluckers will take the first two leaves and one new bud.
Why are the shoot tips plucked?
Auxin is a hormone found at the tip of the stem in plants. When the auxin is removed from the shoot tip by trimming the plants near the tip of the stem (removal of apical dominance), then the dormant buds will become active and will grow laterally thereby allowing the plants to become bushy.
What happens after tea is harvested?
Once picked the leaves are spread out to wither for up to 18 hours. This is when the leaves lose most of their moisture, becoming soft and pliable, allowing them to be rolled without tearing. Rolling breaks the membranes of the leaves to release the natural juices, which then collect on the surface.
How are tea leaves processed after they have been harvested?
After bruising, leaves intended for oolong or black teas are left to oxidize, or turn brown. Again, the leaves are laid out and left to wither. Now that the cell walls have been broken, an enzymatic reaction turns the leaves brown, just like a cut apple. Leaves must be carefully monitored during this process.
What is coarse plucking?
Conversely ‘Coarse Plucking’ as the name suggests implies the removal of shoots with more than three leaves and inclusion of coarse/’stalky’/ damaged leaves. Continuous Fine Plucking gives a low yield due to plucking of smaller shoots, leading to extension of the shoot replacement cycle.
What is fine plucking?
When the camellia is fully grown, the youngest leaves are plucked. In this photo you can see what is known as the “fine plucking”: the removal of the bud and the next two tea leaves. It is a very exceptional occurrence and only takes place in those rare villages that are said to produce the most famous teas.
How do you process green tea?
Green Tea Manufacturing Process
- Step 1: Plucking. Harvesting process in tea industry is known as plucking.
- Step 2: Cooling.
- Step 3: Roasting or Pan Frying.
- Step 4: Re-cooling.
- Step 5: Drying.
- Step 6: Pre-sieving and final sieving.
How is green tea harvested?
For green tea, the tea leaves are harvested from the Camellia sinensis plant and are then quickly heated—by pan firing or steaming—and dried to prevent too much oxidation from occurring that would turn the green leaves brown and alter their fresh-picked flavor.
What is standard plucking?
Standard Plucking. Large one leaf and a bud shoots; all two leaves and a bud shoots ; small three leaves and a bud shoot; and single banjhies. As a long term policy, standard plucking is considered to be superior to black plucking for tea in the plains of N.E. India. Previous Chapter.
How is a plucking table maintained?
Plucking is carried out by pluckers in the tea gardens and a strict supervision is necessary to maintain the quality of green leaves….Tipping and Plucking.
| Operation/Step | Key points | |
|---|---|---|
| 2.Tipping Pruned and Skiffed teas | vii) | Strictly maintain a flat table. |
| 3.Plucking of Unpruned Tea during Early Season | i) | Pluck close to janam |
Have you heard of CTC tea What does CTC stand for?
Crush, tear, curl (sometimes cut, tear, curl) is a method of processing black tea in which the leaves are passed through a series of cylindrical rollers with hundreds of sharp teeth that crush, tear, and curl the tea into small, hard pellets. Tea produced using this method is generally called CTC tea or mamri tea.
What is imperial plucking?
For black and green teas, pickers delicately pinch or cut the bud aka pekoe – white down in Chinese – or the bud with one immediate young leaf. This is known as “imperial plucking”. In the old days in China, only gentle virgins with the most delicate fingers were allowed to pick the precious buds and tiny leaves.
Do you remove banjhies while plucking leaves?
All the banjhies on the plucking table should be removed while plucking. The shoots below the tipping level or plucking table should not be plucked. The table should be leveled by removing the projected hard leaves while plucking. The mature leaves projecting above the table should not be torn half way.
What does plucking mean on a tea plant?
Plucking in tea is synonymous with harvesting in other crops. The tender apical portions of the shoots consisting of two to three tender leaves and the terminal buds are nipped off in plucking.
What can you do with the leaves of corn?
You can also use the green leaves and stalks from your already-harvested corn as fodder for your animals. Any plant matter left after you have picked all the ears of corn can be chopped up and fed to cows, goats, and even pigs. Doing so can save money on feed as well as create a no-waste crop.