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Until the mid 17th century (Late Ming, Early Qing Dynasty), most of the tea enjoyed in China had been of the green and oolong varieties.
The story goes that while a passing army entered the Fujian province, they decided to take shelter at a nearby tea factory. This held up production at the tea factory, where leaves were left out in the sun, causing them to oxidize for a longer period of time and resulting in darker leaves. Despite this surprising liquor colour, tea production had to go on, and after the army used up all the charcoal, the standard agent for drying tea leaves, pinewood was used instead. The strange chemical reaction between the leaves and the pinewood imbued the tea with a smoky and fruity or, Long An, flavour - thus, the story of Lapsang Souchong black tea, which became one of the very first black teas.
Black tea is the most well known in the western world. Also knowns as as “red tea,” it was discovered in China in the mid 17th century. Producing black tea leaves involves either the orthodox or CTC (crush, tear, curl) method of processing. CTC, a mechanized process, results in the dust and fanning leaves used in teabags while the orthodox method, done by hand, makes up everything else.
The production of black tea continues to derive from China, India, as well as Sri Lanka and Africa. Due to its bold flavor, versatility, and ability to give you a boost of energy, more and more people are falling in love with this “dream tea.”
1
Freshly harvested tea leaves are spread out in an even layer in metal troughs, and fans are used to pull and push air across the leaves. The tea is left to wilt (or “wither”) for 10 to 14 hours, depending on the ambient conditions.
2
Rolling, the act of massaging the tea leaves, releases their enzymes and essential oils and exposes their compounds to the air, catalyzing chemical reactions with flavorful results. Once the leaves are activated through rolling, they are left to rest for up to eight hours of oxidation.
3
After the leaves have been allowed to react with the air for a sufficient time, they are placed in a dryer for finishing. The heat involved in this final phase halts the oxidation process and locks in the qualities developed at just the right levels.
