Production of Assam Black Tea
After the tea leaves are picked and weighed, they go through a process of withering, rolling, drying, and sifting to become tea.
1 The leaves are spread out on long trays so that the air can circulate around them and remove any moisture.
2 An orthodox rolling machine lightly breaks the leaves. This also exposes the inside of the leaves to air.
3 Broken leaves are laid out to "ferment" or "oxidize." The exposure to oxygen will activate the enzymes to change the flavor.
4 As the leaves dry they change from rusty brown to black.
5 The CTC machine cuts and tears the leaves into small fragments. The larger cuts are used for loose leaf tea whereas the smaller particles are more suitable for tea bags.