White teas are the least processed of any tea and therefore taste the most like fresh

leaves or grass. They also have the lowest amount of caffeine and most likely have the highest antioxidant properties.

The Processing of White Tea:

First of all, white tea starts with just the tightly rolled buds of the White tea does not go through any oxidation at all. In order to prevent oxidation, white teas are immediately fired or steamed after letting them wither (air dry) for a period of time. There is no rolling, breaking, or bruising of any kind. The dried buds have a silver-like appearance because the tiny white hairs of new growth are still present. This is probably why the most popular white tea (at least in the US) is called Silver Needle.

Imagine: pick the fresh leaves, spread them out to wither until moisture reduces to 20%, then dry further. This is white tea processing in a nutshell. Minimal heating. No rolling. It is a stark contrast to green and oolong tea. It does not undergo fixation, where high heat is applied to kill the enzymes and stop the oxidation. It does not undergo rolling, where the fixated leaves are massaged into various shapes. The making of white tea starts with the cultivation of a suitable crop.

White Tea Processing #1: Tea Plants

It is widely quoted that all teas are Camellia sinensis; what makes the type of tea different is the processing. In practice, farmers choose the plant varieties best suited for the teas they are making. Longjing tea is flat and spear-shaped; it favours leaves that are thin and soft. Biluochun tea is rolled into tight and curly spirals; it favours tiny leaves. In contrast, white tea favours fat buds with lots of silvery hairs and thick leaves. There are not many tea plants that meet this criterion. Commonly used white tea plants include:

o o o

Fuding/Zhenghe/Fuan Dabai (Big White) Fuding Dahao (Big Hair) Fujian Shuixian (Water Sprite)

White Tea Processing #2: Leaf Selection

Different types of white tea are made from different leaves. The more buds it has, the younger the tea shoots, the higher the quality. Now, in descending order of quality: Silver Needle (Baihao Yinzhen) is made from single bud extracted from one-bud-and-oneslightly-unfurled-leaf. White Peony (Baimudan) is made from one bud with two slightly unfurled leaves of equal length. It can also be made from one bud with one leaf. Other white teas such as Tribute Eyebrow (Gongmei), Longevity Eyebrow (Shoumei) and the so called new or green white tea use older leaves consisting of one bud with up to 3 leaves.

White Tea Processing #3: Harvesting

White tea can be harvested in spring, summer and autumn. Spring tea is the highest quality and most abundant. It makes up half of annual production. It is picked several times, with the first two rounds yielding the sweetest, fattest shoots. Autumn tea is next best, and summer the worst. Each makes up about a quarter of annual production. Some people complain that their white tea tastes bland. When buying, it is important to know when the tea is picked.

White Tea Processing #4: Withering

While leaf selection has the biggest bearing on its eventual quality, it is during the withering stage that the tea-maker's skill is put to the most stringent test. During withering, fresh leaves are left to dry in dormant condition for up to 3 days. This is "heavy" withering. In contrast, green tea is only withered for a few hours. The key is to facilitate the desired changes in tea chemistry while minimizing the amount of oxidation. Ever wonder why white tea tastes so sweet? During withering, tea enzymes induce the production of sugars and theanine but only at the right conditions. It is a tricky affair. The factory needs to carefully monitor temperature, humidity, air-flow and light to facilitate this process. Withering can be natural or artificial. Natural withered tea tastes better, but takes longer to produce, and so is less commonly used today. It can take place indoor or under the sun.

White Tea Processing #5: Drying

Oven-bake the withered tea several times to reduce moisture to less than 5%. It is a quicker process than withering and takes less than an hour to complete. As mentioned before, China's Fujian White Tea either comes from Fuding or Zhenghe county. These are the two main production regions.

White teas are the least processed of any tea and therefore taste the most like fresh leaves or grass. They also have the lowest amount of caffeine and most likely have the highest antioxidant properties

The Processing of White Tea:

First of all, white tea starts with just the tightly rolled buds of the White tea does not go through any oxidation at all. In order to prevent oxidation, white teas are immediately fired or steamed after letting them wither (air dry) for a period of time. There is no rolling, breaking, or bruising of any kind. The dried buds have a silver-like appearance because the tiny white hairs of new growth are still present. This is probably why the most popular white tea (at least in the US) is called Silver Needle.

Imagine: pick the fresh leaves, spread them out to wither until moisture reduces to 20%, then dry further. This is white tea processing in a nutshell. Minimal heating. No rolling. It is a stark contrast to green and oolong tea. It does not undergo fixation, where high heat is applied to kill the enzymes and stop the oxidation. It does not undergo rolling, where the fixated leaves are massaged into various shapes. The making of white tea starts with the cultivation of a suitable crop.

White Tea Processing #1: Tea Plants

It is widely quoted that all teas are Camellia sinensis; what makes the type of tea different is the processing. In practice, farmers choose the plant varieties best suited for the teas they are making. Longjing tea is flat and spear-shaped; it favours leaves that are thin and soft. Biluochun tea is rolled into tight and curly spirals; it favours tiny leaves. In contrast, white tea favours fat buds with lots of silvery hairs and thick leaves. There are not many tea plants that meet this criterion. Commonly used white tea plants include:

o o o

Fuding/Zhenghe/Fuan Dabai (Big White) Fuding Dahao (Big Hair) Fujian Shuixian (Water Sprite)

White Tea Processing #2: Leaf Selection

Different types of white tea are made from different leaves. The more buds it has, the younger the tea shoots, the higher the quality. Now, in descending order of quality: Silver Needle (Baihao Yinzhen) is made from single bud extracted from one-bud-and-oneslightly-unfurled-leaf. White Peony (Baimudan) is made from one bud with two slightly unfurled leaves of equal length. It can also be made from one bud with one leaf. Other white teas such as Tribute Eyebrow (Gongmei), Longevity Eyebrow (Shoumei) and the so called new or green white tea use older leaves consisting of one bud with up to 3 leaves.

White Tea Processing #3: Harvesting

White tea can be harvested in spring, summer and autumn. Spring tea is the highest quality and most abundant. It makes up half of annual production. It is picked several times, with the first two rounds yielding the sweetest, fattest shoots. Autumn tea is next best, and summer the worst. Each makes up about a quarter of annual production. Some people complain that their white tea tastes bland. When buying, it is important to know when the tea is picked.

White Tea Processing #4: Withering

While leaf selection has the biggest bearing on its eventual quality, it is during the withering stage that the tea-maker's skill is put to the most stringent test. During withering, fresh leaves are left to dry in dormant condition for up to 3 days. This is "heavy" withering. In contrast, green tea is only withered for a few hours. The key is to facilitate the desired changes in tea chemistry while minimizing the amount of oxidation. Ever wonder why white tea tastes so sweet? During withering, tea enzymes induce the production of sugars and theanine but only at the right conditions. It is a tricky affair. The factory needs to carefully monitor temperature, humidity, air-flow and light to facilitate this process. Withering can be natural or artificial. Natural withered tea tastes better, but takes longer to produce, and so is less commonly used today. It can take place indoor or under the sun.

White Tea Processing #5: Drying

Oven-bake the withered tea several times to reduce moisture to less than 5%. It is a quicker process than withering and takes less than an hour to complete. As mentioned before, China's Fujian White Tea either comes from Fuding or Zhenghe county. These are the two main production regions.

Oolong tea is nothing more than the leaves of the camellia sinensis that have been processed a certain way. It is one of the four types of teas (white, green, oolong, and black). Oolong teas are the most difficult of the four types of teas to process. The best way to describe oolong tea is that they are somewhere in between green and black tea. This is because they are only partially oxidized during the processing.

Instructions
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Remove most of the moisture from freshly-picked tea leaves by setting them out in the sun and open air for 8 to 24 hours. Be sure not to dry them out fully, as leaves need to be partly moist to adequately process for oolong tea.

Cool leaves in a shaded area. Then place them into a basket and shake and toss them to "bruise" the edges. This will partially oxidize them. The process of cooling and bruising may need to be done more than once.

Wrap the leaves in cloth and tumble them for further bruising and oxidation. Stop the tumbling and separate any leaves sticking together and tumble again. Repeat process a few times.

Steam or dry heat the leaves in a large pan to stop the oxidation process. How much or little oxidation is up to you, depending whether you want your oolong tea close to black or green tea.

Roll leaves into strands and dehydrate them by roasting over low heat. Adjusting the temperature during dehydration will produce different levels of flavor.
this crime.
Broadly speaking, there are 7 stages involved. Among them, the most important steps are leaf-selection or harvesting. It is followed by bruising and slow-baking.

It is a stunning process. Enjoy the journey.

Oolong Tea Processing #1: Harvesting (Caiqing)

Oolong tea leaves are picked 3 to 4 times a year in spring, summer (once or twice) and autumn. Autumn tea is also known as winter tea. It is made from more mature leaves consisting of one bud with 3 or 4 leaves. They are picked when buds at the top of bushes mature to half the size of a fully grown leaf. Quality varies with the season. Spring and autumn tea are higher quality than summer tea. Tender leaves picked earlier in the season may be used to make higher grade tea. The most exotic oolong tea - Champagne Oolong tea - uses younger leaves consisting of onebud-and-two-leaf. The harvesting process is more akin to green and white tea than oolong tea. A popular picking technique is to face the hands upwards, hold the stem between the index and middle fingers, then break the stem gently using the thumb.

Oolong Tea Processing #2: Withering (Weidiao)

Freshly picked leaves are left to cool either indoors or outdoors to remove moisture. This is important: the level of moisture determines how quickly tea polyphenols oxidise. The leaves may alternate between indoor and outdoor, as too much sun can cause overheating. As moisture vaporises, fresh leaves soften and lose their natural springiness and lustre. But this is not a cause for concern. In the later stage (bruising), the leaves will regain their elasticity. The general principle is to go "from thin to thick". Initially the leaves are spread out thinly on a bamboo mat to prevent too much heat from accumulating inside the leaves. In the later stage, the leaves are spread out more thickly. The process also involves stirring, which distributes moisture evenly across the leaves and speeds up the oxidation process.

Oolong Tea Processing #3: Bruising (Zhuoqing or Yaoqing)

This is perhaps the most critical part of the making process. For the Wuyi Rock tea, it can take up to 10 hours. It should be seen as a continuation of withering.

The general principle is heavy bruising goes with light withering, and light bruising with heavy withering. It is during withering and bruising that most of oxidation takes place. The bruising process removes moisture and grassiness. During withering, leaves lose their suppleness. Amazingly, they are able to regain their elasticity towards the end of bruising. Tea-makers shake withered leaves in bamboo baskets and handpress them. The friction bruises edges, exposes tea juices to air and speeds up oxidation. The leaves are then spread out to slow down oxidation and other chemical changes. This shaking-resting process is then repeated several times. The length and intensity are adjusted to allow for variation in wind speed, light intensity, temperature and humidity on that particular day. Initial bruising is light, then becomes progressively heavier. In the later stage, the heavily bruised leaves experience a resurrection. Moisture travels from stems to leaves, causing them to regain their suppleness. The process ends when leaf edges start to redden and aroma substances form.

Oolong Tea Processing #4: Fixation (Shaqing)

At the precise time when aroma substances have started to form, bruised leaves are pan-fried at high heat to kill the enzymes and stop the oxidation process. This process is called fixation and lasts only a short time. The main purpose is to kill enzymes and stop oxidation. If it lasts too long, the leaves will lose too much moisture.

Oolong Tea Processing #5: Rolling and Shaping (Rounian or Zhuoxin)

Apply pressure to roll fixated leaves into the desired shape. Depending on the varieties, oolong tea can be either long and curly (Wuyi Rock tea), semirounded (Taiwan Dong Ding tea) or fully-rounded (Anxi Tieguanyin tea). The pressure causes leaves to secret juices. These juices interact and form new compounds. Some of these tea juices are absorbed back. Some are left behind on the outside and subsequently make tea quicker to brew. It is not a continuous process. After the tea has been rolled, it is heated in some way, then rolled again. This is repeated several times.

Oolong Tea Processing #6: Baking (Hongbei)

There are two parts to this process. Maohong In the initial fast-baking process, high heat is applied for a short period of time. It removes moisture, stabilises chemical profile and freezes external shape. Zhuhong Low heat is applied for an extended period of time. For Wuyi Rock tea, it can last up to 7 hours. This is an important stage. The tea-maker decides how much "fire" goes into the tea. The additional slow-baking improves the color and aroma of the tea liquor. Wonder why oolong tea lasts for many more infusions than green tea? Slow baking makes oolong tea lasts longer. The type of fuels used can impact tea quality. Charcoal is the best, followed by wood, electricity, gas, oil and coal.

Oolong Tea Processing #7: Sorting, Cooling and Packaging

During these final stages, leaves are sorted to remove sub standard leaves and twigs. It may be re-heated later, then cooled and packaged. Some teas are made "on the spot" in the mountain. These teas are then carried down

he hearts of perpetrators of
FOOD ARTICLE Bengal Gram dhal & Thoor Dhal Tea Coffee Powder Milk Khoa Wheat and other food grains (Bajra) Sugar Black powder Mustard powder Edible oils

In Food Stuff And Its Harmful Effects

Top 5 To Try
ADULTERANT Kesai dhal Used tea leaves processed and coloured Tamarind seed, date seed powder Chicory powder Unhygenic water & Starch Starch & Less Fat content Ergot (a fungus containing poisonous substance) Chalk powder Papaya Seeds and light berrys Argemone seeds Argemone oil Mineral oil Karanja oil Castor oil Foreign resins galbanum, colophony resin Yellow aniline dyes Non-permitted colourants like metanil yellow Tapioca starch Brick powder, saw dust

Asafoetida Turmeric powder

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What Is Food Adulteration ?

Under the Prevention of Food Adulterant Act, an Adulterant is any material which be employed for the purposes of adulteration. Any article of food is adulterated if : 1. If any inferior or cheaper substance has been substituted wholly or in part,

2. If any constituent of the article ahs been wholly or in part abstracted 3. If the article has been prepared, packed or kept under insanitary conditions 4. If the article consists in part filthy, rotten, decomposed or diseased animal or vegetable or is infested with insects 5. If the article is obtained from diseased animal 6. If the article contains any poisonous ingredient 7. If the article has unprescribed colouring substance or the colouring substance is in excess of the prescribed limits. 8. If the article contains any prohibited or excessive preservatives. 9. If the quality nor purity of the article falls below prescribed standard