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| Tea Plants in Ooty, alluring the sight of nature lovers |
A fascination which I had developed as a child to grow tea
plants in Bangalore took me to the sprawling tea estates of Ooty. Here, I
purchased a few tea saplings from a beautiful and luxuriant tea estate. When I
returned to Bangalore after five days, I planted them in the Magnifique Public
School, One Tree by One Person campus on Kanakapura Main Road. Remarkably, the saplings survived and new
leaves began to sprout from the plants, in about three months the plants increased
in size.
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| Environmentalist US Moinuddin with a tea sapling in the Magnifique Public School, One Tree by One person campus |
Creating a cool
environment for the tea plants to survive proved to be a challenge. But, the
shade of the trees in the surroundings with sparse sunlight penetrating through
the branches provided the right atmosphere for the saplings to survive. Manure prepared from the dead and decayed
plant leaves (Humus) acted as the perfect fertilizer for the plants. Experimenting with tea plants to make them
grow in the climate of Bangalore became
an interesting venture. Watching the plants every day to discover new sprouting
leaves has become a practice which I wholeheartedly enjoy.
Tea or Camellia
sinensis is an evergreen plant grown
in more than 30 countries. But the five
biggest producers of tea are China, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Turkey. After water, tea is the most widely consumed
beverage in the world.
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| US Moinuddin at a tea plantation in Ooty |
One essential requirement for the
growth of the tea plant is plenty of rainfall. It is usually grown at higher
altitudes. However in some tea growing countries such as Sri Lanka, tea is also
grown and harvested at lower altitudes producing a different flavour and
variety of tea called Ceylon Tea. Cool mornings with a light mist help the
plants to shield themselves from the Sun. Too much of sunlight causes the plants
to mature slowly. The temperature below 12°
C and above 32° C are not favourable for the growth of tea as there is hardly
any growth in the tea plant.
However, when a tea plant is left to grow wild
it becomes a large tree growing to a height of 30 feet or more. But, in tea
plantations the pruning and plucking keeps the plants at waist level. There is
a tea tree in Yunnan province, in the South Western China, which is 800 years
old with a huge sturdy trunk and stands 60 feet in height. Incredibly, it still
provides good tea.
Proper cultivation requires careful
elimination of weeds, systematic manuring and application of fertilizers. Shade
trees are also grown among the tea bushes. They bring down the temperature,
raise humidity and replace the nitrogen in the soil. There are different
varieties of tea of which the most popular are Black Tea, Green Tea, Oolong
Tea, and White Tea. All the teas come
from the same plant, but it is the difference in their processing which changes
its physical structure and taste. Black tea is the most popular, this goes
through the full oxidation or fermentation process.
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| Acres of lush green tea plantations in Ooty |
Manufacturing of tea is a rather interesting process.
After the leaves are plucked and collected in baskets they are bought to a
roadside collection point to be weighed. Then the leaves are sent to the
factory, the tea factory is usually a three to four storey building . The first
stage of processing is withering which is carried out by spreading out the
green leaves evenly on the racks. Here, the leaves are left for 8 to 24 hours,
during which time the leaves lose moisture and become flaccid. Next, they are
brought down and fed into the rolling machines. These are large metal cylinders
which rotate and assist in breaking and twisting the leaves inside the rollers.
This process releases the leaves natural juices and enzymes and they begin to
change colour, releasing a fresh and tangy apple-like smell that so pleasantly
surrounds a tea factory. They leave the rollers in warm, twisted lumps and then
these are fed into coarse sieves to be cooled and broken up. The sieves, known
as roll-breakers, have a shaking and filtering action. The fine, tender leaves
known as first quality come through the sieve first and are removed. The
remaining leaves are rerolled and again put on the roll-breakers, the process
is repeated many times to produce second, third and fourth qualities.
The next stage is oxidation, more commonly
known as fermentation, where the leaves absorb oxygen. In the fermentation room
the different qualities are thinly spread on trays in a cool humid
atmosphere. This process which may take
up to three hours gives tea its bright copper colour and also its flavour and
aroma.
The drying or the firing stage follows. The
leaves are put on moving trays in a large drying chamber, through which a
continuous blast of hot air is forced. This takes about half an hour and stops
further oxidisation, after which the tea is fit for drinking.
Almost all the tea is plucked by hand and it
is a delicate and skilled operation. In most of the Asian countries, plucking
is done by the nimble fingers of women and girls. It is said that the
smallness, agility and patience of the feminine hands are necessary for quantity
and quality plucking. In India, a skilled plucker working for eight hours in a
day can harvest 32 to 36 Kilograms of tea leaves sufficient to produce about 9
Kilograms of manufactured black tea.
By heating tea leaves as soon as they are
harvested, fermentation is avoided and the result is Green tea. This type of
processing preserves the tea's health benefits. Green tea is largely consumed
in China and Japan. Subsequently, there has been a growing demand for green tea
across America and Europe as people have become more aware of its health
benefits.
Oolong tea is semi oxidised and it has the
characteristics of black and green tea.
Like the green tea, Oolong tea is considered to be effective in reducing
cholesterol levels, treatment of digestive disorders, strengthening of immune
system and formation of stronger bones.
White tea comes from the buds and leaves of
the tea plant, the leaves and buds are allowed to wither in natural sunlight
before they are minimally processed to prevent oxidation or further tea
processing. The fine silvery-white hair on the unopened buds of the tea plant
gives it a whitish appearance, hence it is called white tea. This tea is
predominantly grown in the Fujian province of China. White tea is also well
known for its detoxifying and antioxidant benefits.
India’s 1.24 Billion people are passionate about
tea. With many people, the day begins with a cup of hot tea in their hand.
Eventually, it energises them and makes their day beautiful.
By and large, drinking tea is one healthy habit
that can keep you and your family fit and fine to face everyday challenges of
life.
US Moinuddin
Author, Environmentalist,
Educationist, Motivational Speaker
