Cultivar
Genetics influence growth, chemistry, aroma potential and suitability for different styles.
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Tea encyclopaedia · Foundation
Tea: from leaf to cup.
A cup of tea is the end of an agricultural and manufacturing chain. The leaf is grown, selected, softened, shaped, transformed by heat and oxygen, dried for stability, then extracted in water.
Before the factory
Tea starts as a living crop.
Altitude is only one part of the story. Temperature, cloud, rainfall, drainage, shade, wind, cultivar and harvest season all influence the leaf presented to the maker.
Climate
Heat, rain, mist and season determine growth speed and the character of each flush.
Pluck
Bud and leaf selection changes tenderness, fibre, chemistry and the maker’s options.
The leaf-to-cup journey
Ten stages — with many possible branches.
1
Plant & place
Tea begins with Camellia sinensis, but cultivar, soil, rainfall, temperature, altitude, shade and garden management all influence how the fresh leaf develops. The same broad species can produce very different material in Assam, Uji, Fujian or the highlands of Sri Lanka.
2
Pruning & new growth
Tea bushes are managed to keep tender shoots within reach and to encourage repeated flushes of new growth. Harvest seasons and flushes can become part of a tea’s identity, particularly in regions such as Darjeeling.
3
Plucking
The harvest may be hand-plucked or mechanically harvested. Fine hand plucks often focus on a bud and one or two young leaves; broader plucks include more mature leaf. What enters the basket sets the starting point for everything that follows.
4
Withering
Fresh leaves are spread so they lose moisture and become softer and more flexible. Withering is not simply drying: chemical and aromatic changes begin while the leaf relaxes enough to be rolled or shaped.
5
Bruising, rolling or shaping
Leaves may be rolled, twisted, shaken, bruised or otherwise worked. Physical damage breaks cell structures and brings compounds into contact with oxygen and enzymes, which can accelerate the reactions used to build many tea styles.
6
Oxidation — or preventing it
For black tea, controlled enzymatic oxidation is encouraged and the leaf darkens while aroma changes. Green tea makers apply heat early to stop those enzymes. Oolong sits across a wide middle ground, while white tea uses comparatively gentle handling but still changes as it withers and dries.
7
Firing or kill-green
Heat is used at a deliberate point to stop enzymatic activity and stabilise the desired character. Chinese green teas are often pan-heated; many Japanese greens are steamed. Heat treatment strongly influences aroma, texture and colour.
8
Drying
The processed leaf is dried to a stable moisture level so it can be stored and transported. Drying may also shape flavour through warmth and roast. Some teas receive further baking or roasting after the initial drying stage.
9
Sorting, grading & finishing
Tea can be sifted and sorted by leaf size or appearance, blended, roasted again, compressed, scented or aged depending on the style. Grade names usually describe leaf form or manufacturing outcome rather than giving a universal measure of drinking quality.
10
Packing, storage & the cup
Finished tea must be protected from moisture, strong odours, heat and excessive air exposure. At the final stage, water temperature, dose, time and vessel decide how the leaf expresses itself in the cup.
Withering is not the same as drying
Withering deliberately reduces moisture early so the leaf becomes workable and begins changing. Final drying comes later to stabilise the finished tea.
Oxidation is not fermentation
Much tea terminology historically uses “fermentation”, but the browning reactions in black and oolong tea are primarily enzymatic oxidation rather than yeast fermentation.
Heat is a style decision
Steaming, pan-firing, baking and roasting do more than remove moisture. They stop reactions, create aromas and can become part of a region’s signature.
Follow the flavour backwards
The cup can often point back to the leaf and process.
Fresh, grassy, seaweed-like
Often associated with early heat-fixing and, in some Japanese greens, steaming.
Floral & high-toned
Can reflect cultivar, cool growing conditions, careful plucking and lighter processing.
Honeyed, fruity, muscatel
May emerge from cultivar, season, withering and oxidation choices — notably in some Darjeeling and oolong teas.
Roasted, nutty, mineral
Can be shaped strongly by firing, roasting and later finishing as well as the starting leaf.
From leaf to cup to cupboard