Chai Pilgrimage

The journey of a tealeaf from the bush to your chai pot requires both human and technical precision.  In Darjeeling and Sikkim, we traversed the steep slopes of several tea estates, mingling with the tealeaf pluckers as they worked.  Their careful eyes determine the maturity of each leaf while they quickly and nimbly pluck the first two leaves and a bud from each tea bush stem.  They toss the leaves over their shoulders into a doko, a woven bamboo basket supported by a forehead strap called a namlo.  It bewilders the mind to consider each of the many leaves of tea that we consume daily has been touched by human hands.  In the hill regions we visited, handpicking is the only viable method of harvesting.

At huge tea estates in the plains of Assam and other flatter tea growing regions in India, sometimes machines are used to harvest.  Unlike the handpicking method, harvesting machines cannot determine the quality and ripeness of each leaf and the leaves are usually damaged in the process.  This is fine for lesser quality teas, but does not meet the standards of an Orthodox tea, where an in tact, whole leaf is perfection.

After harvest, the leaves are taken to the factory where they undergo one of two methods of processing, Orthodox or CTC.  First we look at the orthodox method and the 4-step process of withering, rolling, oxidizing and firing.

Withering – After being harvested and weighed, the tealeaves are spread out on long metal troughs in a shaded area to wither. As the moisture evaporates, the leaves become limp and pliable so they can be rolled with the least amount of damage. This can take about 14-20 hours depending on humidity and other conditions. The trained senses of the tea producer know precisely when the leaves are ready for rolling.

Rolling -Traditionally this was done by hand, but the process has been mechanized for large-scale tea production. Some of the rolling machines we saw at the Makaibari factory are still being used after 100 years. The rolling machine applies pressure to the wilted leaves while rotating them around each other in order to release the chemicals stored in the cells of the leaf. This initiates the oxidizing process that gives the tea its characteristic color and flavor.

Oxidation –The leaves are then laid out so the natural chemicals in the tealeaf can react with the air. Again, timing is essential. The leaves must oxidize long enough to bring out the complexity of flavors, but if oxidized too long, the tea becomes too strong and loses the more subtle tastes. This step takes about 2-4 hours. The oxidation process is the main distinction between black tea and green tea, which is not oxidized.

Firing – To halt the oxidizing process and dry the tea completely, the leaves are then put through a drying machine. They pass by conveyor belt through a charcoal fired heater at a temperature of 220-250 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20-40 minutes.

After the tea is thoroughly dried it is ready to be sorted by leaf grade. This is done with a machine that shakes the dried leaves over varying gauges of mesh to sift out the tea according to size. The largest, superior leaves may also be hand-sorted again.  It is critical to keep the same size leaves together because when it is time to steep the tea, the smaller pieces will steep quickly and the larger, full-sized leaves will infuse more slowly. If they are mixed, the smaller leaves will over-steep and throw off the refined flavor of a fine tea. Leaf grade does not necessarily indicate quality, but a young, whole leaf generally demands a higher price than broken leaf grade.

The Orthodox method of tea processing creates a more sophisticated tea with the multi-layered taste preferred by tea connoisseurs.  A good quality orthodox tea will go a long way to improve the flavor of your masala chai. However, because the character of a full leaf tea is more delicate, you may want to use less milk, sugar and spices so you can appreciate the tea flavor.

The CTC (crush, tear, curl or cut, tear, curl) method is a little different.  It is a quicker, more brutal process, as the name implies, and is generally used for less expensive production of inferior quality leaves. Tealeaves destined for CTC processing may be picked by machine or hand-harvested. After the leaves wither, they are put into a machine that compresses the leaves, tears them apart, and curls them into little balls. They then go through the oxidizing and firing process.

CTC tea possesses a robust flavor because the greater surface area of the grain allows it to steep quickly. For brewing masala chai, CTC tea works well because its intense character can push its way through the spices and milk. Throughout India, most households and street-side chai wallahs use cheap CTC tea, boiling it thoroughly and reusing the tea.