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What are the steps of making black tea by hand? Relationship between fermentation technology and quality of black tea

Published: 2026-08-02 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/08/02, After the withering process, the tea is sent to use a traditional rolling machine for the rolling process. This machine was invented by the British centuries ago. Usually a machine can process 70-100 kilograms of tea in each batch. The rolling is done by two machines, and the output of the two machines is collected. When the moisture content decreased further, the total weight of tea decreased from 70kg to 50-60kg. So two machines

After the withering process, the tea is sent to use a traditional rolling machine for the rolling process. This machine was invented by the British centuries ago. Usually a machine can process 70-100 kilograms of tea in each batch. The rolling is done by two machines, and the output of the two machines is collected. When the moisture content decreased further, the total weight of tea decreased from 70kg to 50-60kg. So the final output of the two machines is 50+50kg=100kg. This is why the minimum volume of Darjeeling tea trade is always between 100kg and 150kg. A large quantity of tea is too much for a small company. This is the origin of the idiom "many". A large amount of tea is too big for a small tea merchant.

When making high-quality tea, it is important to avoid heating. The rolling process is carried out alternately with and without pressure to release the heat generated by friction. If you increase the processing volume or speed, the temperature may increase, which will affect the quality. It is critical to use smaller capacity and longer processing time. After all, tea is unique in terms of quality and price, because it takes more time to process and is carefully made.

In the process of rolling, the tea is screened into different sizes. The large leaves are sent back to the rolling machine for further rolling to reduce their size.

In the process of rolling, the tea is screened by the machine. The purpose of screening is:

Cool down the tea leaves

2) divide the tea into different sizes.

The largest and second largest leaves are sent back to the rolling mill. The better leaves are sent to ferment. The tea is spread on the fermentation plate. These particles are usually used to make tea bags or mixed teas. The fermentation process usually takes place on the floor. However, due to hygiene reasons, our suppliers use stainless steel pallets. We have noticed that this is a good practice.

The purpose of the drying process is:

1) heating the tea at high temperature to inactivate the enzyme and stop fermentation.

2) reduce the moisture content of tea to less than 5%.

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