Definition of Tea
The researchers have two different opinions on the motherland of tea plant, which belongs to Camellia sinensis ( L.) O. Kuntze family. One group claims that the origin of the plant is China, while others point to the Northwest area of India. The only fact they all accept is, this plant is approximately 5000 years old. Botanic researchers determined the plant has 3 varieties that have morphological differences. These varieties are: 1- Chinese tea, 2 – Assam tea, and 3 – Cambodian tea.
When left in the nature the tea plant can obtain the appearance of a tree. The growing size of the tea plant, which does not shed leaves, may show differences between varieties as well as types. The tea plant that grows in our country have similar properties with the Chinese tea but it also has a unique structure and it can reach 1m height at the most, as it is harvested.
The tea is a tropical climate plant; it is grown on 2.590.000 hectares of area throughout the world in 30 countries as black, green, Oolong, yellow and white tea. The production of all these types of tea requires individual processes and technologies.
Turkey met with tea during 1890s with trials in Bursa province, but the trials were not successful as the local ecology and climate conditions were not suitable. The trials in Rize province during 1920s were successful and the results are still visible today. The tea, which is a tropical plant, is produced in the micro-climate area at our Black Sea Region, and this provides us with specific advantages. The harvest of the tea plant grown in the tropical areas can continue for 12 months. The plant can attract approximately 160 types of pests and the related fungal diseases. The agricultural pesticides are used to remove such risks in the countries that carry out continuous harvest for 12 months. The negative effects of these pesticides are visible on the products and the consumers.
The tea harvest in our country is carried out between May-October months; the plant meets the winter season, and provides new crops during the May month of the next year. The winter season brings along many advantageous results for our plant. The pests are removed (killed) naturally before larvae period, and this eliminates the fungal diseases risk and no agricultural pesticide is required to be used as a result. This provides our tea product with advantages when compared to the tea products throughout the world.
In Turkey, the black tea production is generally carried out with orthodox methods. Other than these methods, very small amounts of production is carried out with C.T.C. method. The production is for black tea and no green tea is produced other than those by Çay-kur. Çay-kur has begun the production of green tea in 2005. The black tea production stages are as below:
PRELIMINARY WITHERING: This process is important to save time, workmanship, time etc. expenses in scope of tea production. Moreover it has great effect on the quality of the tea. 40 tons of fresh leaves are passed through the storage and natural withering processes.
1-WITHERING : The water content within the fresh tea leaves is dropped to 60-65%. The water within the tea leave is evaporated by applying warm air (30-35 C) and the tea leaves become ready for the 2nd stage of the production: Curling. The tea leaves lose their resistance at this stage.
2-CURLING : The tea leaves, of which water rate is reduced and resistance is broken, are placed within the curling boilers that move in a circular way parallel to the ground; here the processes are carried out to crush, break into pieces, curl without breakage, to remove the water inside as the result of breaking and it covers the broken surface of the leaves as a film layer. The curling process changes the order of the bio-chemical reactions that occur in scope of the tea leaves, and prepares the required environment to accelerate the oxidation process.
3- OXIDATION : It is seen as the most important process in black tea production. The polyfenols, enzymes, alkaloids, nitrogenous compounds, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and volatile substances within the water of the tea leaves are allowed to contact with oxygen to ensure the development of all properties of the tea. The oxygen is provided by being humidified with water vapor to ensure accelerated development of the properties in a denser way. As the result of a series of oxidation-reduction reactions occurring during the process, all the properties that we feel when we take a sip (the taste, brewing, strength, aroma, clearness, color, sourness etc. characteristics) are developed.
4- DRYING : To ensure these properties developed during the oxidation process can stay with the tea particles until brewing process, the humidity level needs to be reduced down to 3%. Therefore it is dried at 100 C to reduce the humidity and to stop the oxidation. In this way the black tea can be stored, transported and packaged.
5- SORTING : At this stage the furnaced tea becomes separated from its woody body, vein sections and fibers, sieved according to the quality level, bagged, labeled and stored for protection.
When left in the nature the tea plant can obtain the appearance of a tree. The growing size of the tea plant, which does not shed leaves, may show differences between varieties as well as types. The tea plant that grows in our country have similar properties with the Chinese tea but it also has a unique structure and it can reach 1m height at the most, as it is harvested.
The tea is a tropical climate plant; it is grown on 2.590.000 hectares of area throughout the world in 30 countries as black, green, Oolong, yellow and white tea. The production of all these types of tea requires individual processes and technologies.
Turkey met with tea during 1890s with trials in Bursa province, but the trials were not successful as the local ecology and climate conditions were not suitable. The trials in Rize province during 1920s were successful and the results are still visible today. The tea, which is a tropical plant, is produced in the micro-climate area at our Black Sea Region, and this provides us with specific advantages. The harvest of the tea plant grown in the tropical areas can continue for 12 months. The plant can attract approximately 160 types of pests and the related fungal diseases. The agricultural pesticides are used to remove such risks in the countries that carry out continuous harvest for 12 months. The negative effects of these pesticides are visible on the products and the consumers.
The tea harvest in our country is carried out between May-October months; the plant meets the winter season, and provides new crops during the May month of the next year. The winter season brings along many advantageous results for our plant. The pests are removed (killed) naturally before larvae period, and this eliminates the fungal diseases risk and no agricultural pesticide is required to be used as a result. This provides our tea product with advantages when compared to the tea products throughout the world.
In Turkey, the black tea production is generally carried out with orthodox methods. Other than these methods, very small amounts of production is carried out with C.T.C. method. The production is for black tea and no green tea is produced other than those by Çay-kur. Çay-kur has begun the production of green tea in 2005. The black tea production stages are as below:
PRELIMINARY WITHERING: This process is important to save time, workmanship, time etc. expenses in scope of tea production. Moreover it has great effect on the quality of the tea. 40 tons of fresh leaves are passed through the storage and natural withering processes.
1-WITHERING : The water content within the fresh tea leaves is dropped to 60-65%. The water within the tea leave is evaporated by applying warm air (30-35 C) and the tea leaves become ready for the 2nd stage of the production: Curling. The tea leaves lose their resistance at this stage.
2-CURLING : The tea leaves, of which water rate is reduced and resistance is broken, are placed within the curling boilers that move in a circular way parallel to the ground; here the processes are carried out to crush, break into pieces, curl without breakage, to remove the water inside as the result of breaking and it covers the broken surface of the leaves as a film layer. The curling process changes the order of the bio-chemical reactions that occur in scope of the tea leaves, and prepares the required environment to accelerate the oxidation process.
3- OXIDATION : It is seen as the most important process in black tea production. The polyfenols, enzymes, alkaloids, nitrogenous compounds, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and volatile substances within the water of the tea leaves are allowed to contact with oxygen to ensure the development of all properties of the tea. The oxygen is provided by being humidified with water vapor to ensure accelerated development of the properties in a denser way. As the result of a series of oxidation-reduction reactions occurring during the process, all the properties that we feel when we take a sip (the taste, brewing, strength, aroma, clearness, color, sourness etc. characteristics) are developed.
4- DRYING : To ensure these properties developed during the oxidation process can stay with the tea particles until brewing process, the humidity level needs to be reduced down to 3%. Therefore it is dried at 100 C to reduce the humidity and to stop the oxidation. In this way the black tea can be stored, transported and packaged.
5- SORTING : At this stage the furnaced tea becomes separated from its woody body, vein sections and fibers, sieved according to the quality level, bagged, labeled and stored for protection.