Sorting

This is a true conversation that took place between a tea maker with over a decade of experience and a connoisseur who has been storing white tea for the same amount of time, at a white tea factory. Eventually, a rapid moisture analyzer was used to test the controversial batch of white tea, revealing that its moisture content (the percentage of water in the tea leaves) had reached 6.4%. The tea maker's family sourced their tea leaves from a local core area and did a decent job with the white tea production process. Crucially, they never had trouble selling their tea each year, so he didn't have much of an awareness about storing white tea. The oldest teas they could find in the factory were no more than four to five years old, and there wasn't much of it.Why had the moisture content increased from less than 5% when the tea was first made to over 6% now? He couldn't figure it out and didn't seem too worried. In a thriving market, he didn't need to think too much about it.On the other hand, the connoisseur had started learning how to store white tea back in 2009 because he loved…

Everyone should be aware that there are two different forms of tea circulating in the Pu'er market. One is loose tea, which we also call loose leaf tea; the other is finished tea products produced by tea factories, which are compressed into three main shapes: tuocha, cake (beeng), and brick. Why do we compress loose leaf tea into these shapes? What advantages does this compression offer? Today, let's discuss this topic. The vast majority of teas circulating in the entire Pu'er market are in the form of cakes, bricks, or tuo. This applies to both raw and ripe teas. To understand their advantages, we need to first get a general idea of their compression process. First, the loose leaf tea purchased from farmers undergoes a process to remove impurities. It goes through a color sorter to pick out yellow leaves, stems, and larger impurities. The wind selection process is now rarely used as it results in significant loss and mediocre results. Then, an electrostatic machine removes hair-like matter and ash from the tea, ensuring it meets national standards for purity. Some manufacturers also perform grading, sorting the tea into several grades and blending them according to specific ratios. This step…

Wuyi Rock Tea is a traditional Chinese tea renowned for its unique rock aroma and flavor, growing in the crevices of rocks. It is a semi-fermented green tea, with Dahongpao being one of its famous varieties. This article outlines the basic operational techniques and key points of each step in the refining process of Wuyi Rock Tea, aiming to provide guidance for production practice. Refining Techniques for Wuyi Rock Tea The refining of Wuyi Rock Tea involves processing raw tea into finished tea. The primary focus is to remove stems, fragments, and foreign matter, improve the uniformity and purity of the tea's appearance, and enhance its quality. The refining process comprises 13 steps: grading and sorting, preliminary sorting, sifting, cutting and shaping, winnowing (air selection), secondary sorting, blending, baking, cooling, packing (into boxes or barrels), storage, blending, additional baking, and packaging. Flow Chart of Wuyi Rock Tea Refining Process Grading and Sorting Grading and sorting are primarily for preparing raw tea for blending. Based on sensory evaluation results using the national standard samples or trade samples of Wuyi Rock Tea, raw teas are sorted according to their origin, variety, season, and quality. Specific steps for sorting raw tea: Samples are…