Tea Manufacture in C. R. Harler Way

摘要

In order that tea leaf shall roll well and take on a twist, the plucked leaf is partially dried or withered. The Chinese, who prepare tea by the hand process, harvest the leaf on a sunny day when the dew has gone. Then they toss it and turn it for anhour or two until it is soft enough to roll, that is when the stalk can be bent double without cracking. When tea is manufactured the withering process is given more attention and open-air sheds, controlled lofts, tunnels or troughs are used. Even when the best type of natural, open-air wither is possible, however, the moisture content of different samples of leaf varies over a wide range, and that of individual shoots still more widely. This last is due partly to the fact that the texture of differentshoots and their capacity to give up moisture varies.