A History of Assam c24.18

c24.18

The modern system of manufacturing black tea has been described as follows†:—“As soon as the leaf is plucked, it is laid out thinly on trays or sheets in order that it may wither, in which process the rigidity of the leaf cells disappears and the leaf becomes soft and easily rolled. When this withering process is accomplished, which depends a good deal on the state of the weather, the leaf is taken into the factory and rolled by machinery, the object of this being to break up the already softened leaf cells, so that the sap then escapes and exudes. When these cells are broken up, the leaf is taken out of the roller and allowed to stand until fermentation, or rather oxidization, sets in; during this process the leaf changes colour, and when it assumes a bright coppery tint, fermentation is stopped by placing the leaf in the drier, and firing it at fairly high temperature; this fixes the fermentation and in the process the colour of the leaf has changed to nearly black. The tea is then sorted through different-sized sieves in order to make it suitable for the requirements of different markets. It is then packed into chests and sent to the market where it is to be sold."