Process Chart- Tea

Sample Answer

The diagram featured above details the steps by which pu’erh raw and ripened tea are produced. Looking from an overall perspective, it is readily apparent that there are 3 main stages beginning with initial deactivation and drying, followed by either aging or fermentation and finally storage in the case of the raw tea and compression for the ripe tea.

The process for both varieties of tea commences when the leaves are fried in pans in order to deactivate specific enzymes. This is followed by rolling of the fried leaves and drying in the sun. In the next stage, the two kinds of tea are treated in different ways.

For the ripe tea, the loose raw tea is fermented with mold and then compressed to form the final product. In terms of the raw tea, the leaves are first compressed. Subsequent to this step, the tea is aged, rather than fermented, and the pu’erh raw tea is then available for use.