Tea is made from the leaves and leaf buds of one of three varieties of Camellia sinensis. They are:

1. Camellia sinensis variety sinensis
2. Camellia sinensis variety assamica
3. Camellia sinensis variety taliensis

The leaves and buds are harvested from Spring to Summer, while the evergreen plant hibernates in winter. The highest quality tea comes from the first row of spring buds, this is also known as a “flush”. 

Tea is classified into different categories according to the leaves used as well as by how those leaves are processed. These classifications:

1. Black Tea
2. Green Tea 
3. Oolong Tea 
4. White Tea 
5. Puerh Tea
6. Yellow Tea

When the Tea leaves and buds are picked, they naturally begin a chemical process known as Oxidation. Oxidation, simply put, is an increase in the amount oxygen in the cells of the Camellia leaves. Various processing methods have been developed over the centuries to manipulate the levels of oxidation in the leaves during their drying. The manipulation ultimately creates a wide variety of flavours beyond its classification, all according to the fluctuating levels of oxidation. The process of drying the tea leaves is often incorrectly referred to as fermentation, which is the process of decomposition and involves microorganisms, such as fungus, that break down matter. Fermentation is only relevant to Puerh tea. 

The more oxidized (the more oxygen present) a tea, the darker it is. The less oxidized (the least oxygen present) a tea, the lighter. The variants therefore look as follows:

Black Tea Fully Oxidised

Black tea undergoes processing methods that allow the tea leaf cells to open to their full capacity in order to receive increased amounts of oxygen. The tea leaves and buds are placed on trays and dried either in doors or in the sun, otherwise known as withering. This process can take between 8 and 24 hours. The leaves are then either lightly crushed before being oxidised and then rolled, or undergo CTC (Crush, Tear and Curl) processing. Once these bruising and oxidation methods are complete, the tea is left to dry fully before being sorted into various leaf sizes that determine quality and grade.

Green Tea Non-Oxidised

Green tea undergoes processing methods that close the tea leaf cells to reduce the amount of oxygen received to a bare minimum. It is the tea that has the lowest oxygen content present. The processing essentially speeds up drying to prevent the cells from opening up and thus maintains existing oxygen content without adding any more. This means there is no withering. The freshly picked tea leaves and buds are “fixated” or moderately heated to deactivate oxidation. This is either through pan-firing or steaming the leaves. The tea leaves are then rolled or formed into various shapes before being dried.

Oolong Tea Partially Oxidised

Oolong Tea contains a partial level of oxygen present in the tea leaves. If the levels are higher than the oolong is classified as a dark oolong and closer to the black tea side of the scale. If the levels are lower, the oolong is classified as light and closer to the green tea side of the scale. The tea leaves and buds are withered in the same way as black tea before being bruised by being tossed in a basket and then partially oxidised. Leaves and buds are then shaped while still wet by machine or hand rolling before being dried and then fired to cure the leaves.

White Tea Naturally Oxidised

The level of oxygen varies according the plant and area. The leaves are picked and dried naturally without any forced processes or methods that manipulate the leaf cells oxygen absorption as is standard with other tea varieties. Tea leaves and buds are picked and fixated or baked naturally in dry rooms or directly in the sun before being very lightly rolled and dried.

Puerh Tea Fermented 

This is the only tea that can truly claim the term fermentation as it is actively decomposed to activate enzymes and microbes such as fungus that shift the chemistry of the tea leaves. The leaves used for Puerh traditionally come from old trees located in the Yunnan province of China. Puerh can be classified into two variants – Sheng (Raw) or Shou (Ripe). After the leaves are picked, they are processed in the same way as green tea. A unique method of shaping occurs where the tea leaves are piled into balls, disks or “cakes” and dried. After this process, the teas are either wet piled or naturally aged for a period of 8 months to sometimes 50 years. Depending on the area, year and processing, Puerh can better with age, fetching high values on trade markets. 

Herbal or Tisane

Rooibos Oxidised 

Rooibos can be translated as Red Bush. It comes from the Aspalathus Linearis plant which is part of the Fynbos plant kingdom that is unique to South Africa and nowhere else in the world. In fact, Rooibos cannot be grown anywhere other than the regions of its origin due to it relying on intricate biomes for its survival.

Hundreds of years ago indigenous tribes of South Africa would eat Rooibos on their hunting trips, which would last for many days. When British colonialists infiltrated Southern Africa, it was extremely difficult and expensive to bring Black tea from Sri Lanka or India. They observed the indigenous tribes oxidizing the Rooibos leaves in a similar fashion to black tea and decided to experiment with it as a brew. The strong, woody and creamy flavour of Rooibos made for an excellent non-caffeinated replacement to black tea. It has been a local favourite in every South African home for the last 200 years.

Rooibos is harvested in the Southern hemisphere summer months between November and March. The pine-like needles are chopped by hand using sickles. These green leaves are then put through machines that chop the branches and twigs into smaller bits. These chopped leaves and twigs are then laid out and watered for up to 30 minutes which begins oxidising the leaves and turning them red. The leaves are then crushed by large tractor tyres and spread over massive concrete courts to dry for up to 12 hours in the sun.

Associated with the sun, it was seen as a giver of life. As a legume, Rooibos allows its community plants to thrive by converting nitrogen in the air to a usable substance in the soil. It brings life and balance to the ecosystem. Allowing the plants to grow in the wild supports the delicate Fynbos ecosystem, contributing to better plant and soil conditions as well as adaptation to climate change, thus benefiting the entire plant community and allowing it to thrive. 

Honeybush Oxidised 

Honeybush comes from the Cyclopia plant which is part of the Fynbos plant kingdom that is unique to South Africa and nowhere else in the world. As a cousin of Rooibos, Honeybush can be grown anywhere other than the regions of its origin due to it relying on intricate biomes for its survival.

The Bumble Bee is the only insect that can pollinate Honeybush plants as it has the perfect weight to open the petals. Indigenous tribes of South Africa believed bees to be sacred, the wise “little people” who protected the secrets of life. They associated Honeybush with the sweet vital force of life. It was used for immunity and medical research has found it to be incredibly high in Vitamin C and antioxidants.

It is processed in the exact same way as Rooibos. 

Biodynamic farming methods are ideal in order to create a diversified and balanced ecosystem, contributing to better plant and soil conditions as well as adaptation to climate change. These practices benefit the entire plant community and allow it to thrive.