This is part 4 of my guide on the art of tea. Here's part 1 of my Art of Tea series.
Control & Finishing
Of course, the most dramatic software of human craft on the flavor of tea comes when it is a chance to actually finish fresh leaves. An extra level of heat here or an extra minute of withering there can not change the flavor of a tea but actually change whether the tea is white tea, inexperienced tea, black tea, oolong or pu'er. Every kind of tea in the world is defined by processing technique. Theoretically the same leaf can be used to make any tea. A specific varietal, leaf mix, or shrub age might be better suited to one type or the other, but that is where the true mastery of the craftsman has full pressure.
After fresh leaves are finished, a farmer generally has three main options. The first and most basic is to merely dry out the leaves. This is actually the most basic technique, and the most widely used for other plant species (such mint). It really is surprisingly unheard of in tea production. Actually sheng pu'er, one of the simplest teas away there, is usually pot fired over low high temperature for some time frame before drying.
The second choice a farmer can make is steaming the fresh leaf right after picking to prevent any reaction with the air, stop enzymatic processes and preserve the taste closest to eating the new leaf. This kind of process is employed to make many white teas.
The most common step after picking is withering. Withering is an easy process, and the important very first step in any black tea, green tea and oolong. Withering is done by spreading tea out in bamboo containers and allowing evaporation to reduce the moisture content in the leaf.
Following the leaf has lost some amount of water, there are many choices for the craftsman to consider. They could water vapor the tea or fireplace the tea over low heat to create inexperienced tea, they could distributed the tea out to sun roast and oxidize for several days into black tea, they could roll and manipulate the leaves to bruise the edges and eventually produce an oolong.
Even in a simple category like green tea, the character has its own selections. Mr. He sometimes engages his tea flat like Dragonwell. Sometimes he palm curls each leaf like Bilochun, sometimes he uses curling discs to make his classic green tea. Each condition has a different flavor, and the shaping leaves takes years to master. In standard, the curled shapes are likely to be more sapid saporific gustable gustatory gustful strong gamy palatable, even though the flat pressed styles are sweeter.
The hands movements to master oriental tea shaping are only the beginning. In Wudongshan of Fenghuang, we were fortunate to get to study tea making under Huang Rui Guang, one of the founders of modern Dancong cultivation, and author of many catalogs about them. He educated us about the light, subtle hand movements needed to properly bruise a tea leaf without battering it or damaging the structure. His movements appeared as if tai chi. A true tea master, he could make leaves swirl across his bamboo tray while barely touching them, and at the end of the process his leaves were properly floral and fragrant while looking like they had never recently been handled. Our first efforts were more wilted and less fragrant despite following same simple movements. Nevertheless Master Huang is legally retired, even his boy processes under his dad's watchful eye despite 20 years of running the workshop.
In Wuyishan, the sorts of wood used for firing tea are carefully managed and chosen based upon moisture and plant content. Tea is roasting sometime over thatched tatami braziers, and sometimes over metal woks. The solid wood firing changes the quality of the tea significantly. The aromatics of the smoke settle in the tea, so Li Xiangxi's brother picks his wooden for its aromatic characteristics.
In Laoshan, Mr. This individual likes to process his bilochun and high quality black teas without needing immediate wood fire or a wok. He rolls the tea over a carefully perforated steel basket with hot air rising through perforations so that the heat is neutral and does not give a woody flavor to his tea.
The subtlety of tea crafting at this level is often forgotten. We think of tea as a simple farming process, while in reality it will require the same skill at the highest levels as any crafted artwork. There are so many many choices to make for anyone crafting tea, and the end results will be different dramatically. Each panda we work with has developed their craft as a proud expression of the identity with their region and of themselves. Mr. He's tea states the hearty and favorable nature of Shandong. The simplicity of Master Zhou's tea is a true hands-off approach to allowing the wild trees exhibit their natural flavor. Li Xiangxi's teas in Wuyi are a technical victory of complexity that is a testament to Wuyishan's recognition for many years as a cultural centre of tea.
Read the final chapter on the Art of Tea: What is a Tea Master?