How tea is made
Two leaves and a bud are plucked from the camellia sinensis bush.
Withering - The new leaf (the plucked two leaves and a bud) is spread on long withering tables. Air is forced under the leaves which speeds the fermentation process. Here, the tea is spread by hand and fluffed so it dries easily.
Rolling - After 8 - 12 hours withering, the tea is rolled (sometimes on machines that the British brought to India in the 1800's!) to bring out the flavor in the raw leaf.
You can see in this photo what the rolling does to the leaf: It brings out the moisture from the leaf. The develops the flavor further and speeds the enzymes up - the flavenoids and alkeloids (like caffeine) come out.
After rolling the tea is spread out to "ferment." This final process is really where the art of the tea maker shows. Fermentation must be just long enough to bring out the most flavor in the tea.
"Fermentation" does not really ferment the tea in the chemical sense: There is no growth of yeast. It is just the term tea makers use for the oxidation process.
Finally after fermenting the proper amount of time, the tea is "fired" to approx 180 degrees for 1/2 hour to stop the fermentation and to "fix" the tea in the state in which it will be shipped.
