White, Green or Black?

Ok, so I've already mentioned that Helen, Ferry and I drove up to the tea plantations in Lembang yesterday. I had been wanting to photograph them since we first arrived here in Bandung, so this was the day. I had hoped to do a little walking/hiking through the tea fields but on the drive up, Ferry announced that he knew of a tea “fabriek” (Dutch word for “factory”) we could visit. Wow, what a nice surprise!

fog over tea plantation, Lembang

Turns out, West Java is the ideal place to grow tea because of its rainfall, elevation, temperature and rich volcanic soil (the stuff that makes everything look so dirty around here). The plantations that line both sides of the highway are lush and beautiful. Ferry stopped a couple of times to let us walk out into the edge of the field to snap photos. Pulling off of a busy 2-lane highway is not as easy as it sounds, but he understood what we were after and tried very hard to accommodate us. He also stopped and bargained for avocados, sweet potatoes and pineapples along the way. Ferry helps us in so many ways. How different (better) our stay here would have been had we had him all along!

bud on top (white), second and third leaves (green) and the ones below (black)

loading moving containers with wilted leaves

After arriving at the tea factory, his translation skills came in very handy since the person giving us the tour spoke no English. Between the noise level from the machines and my lagging behind to take photos, I wasn’t clear enough to explain the entire process but Ferry went over it with me on the way home in the car. So this is my story and I’m sticking to it. Hopefully you’ll at least have a general idea of how a bush is turned into one of your favorite beverages!

emptying receptacles

leaves go into the hopper

tea plant worker

First of all, who knew that all teas comes from the same bush – white tea, green tea and black tea. The very top leaf or bud (that hasn’t unfolded) is what will become white tea; the second and third leaves will become green tea and the leaves below those will be fermented to become black tea. Interesting!

fermented and dried tea moving down conveyor belt

White tea is the least processed of the teas. It is also the most expensive, since there are fewer buds than there are leaves and they can only be picked for a short time each year. White tea also has the highest antioxidant levels and claims to prevent cancer, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, thin the blood, protect against bacteria and viruses and on and on. Just beneath the top bud (white tea) are the next 2 leaves. They are naturally more tender than the older leaves below and they are used for making green tea which is also unfermented. Green tea touts many of the same health benefits as does the white tea. The leaves below those are fermented to become black tea.

fermented, dried and ready to be stored

After the leaves are handpicked from the bushes and carried into the factory, they still contain 90% water. During this wilting or withering stage, they are poured out into large containers through which air is pumped from beneath. Next the leaves are dumped into big machines where they are chopped and pressed, reducing their moisture content to about 55%. For the next 3 hours the chopped leaves are fermented (black tea only) and any flavorings (ginger, lemon, etc) are added. After the fermentation process, the tea is dried at 100 degrees Celsius (it is quite warm in this part of the factory) and the tea turns from brown to black. The factory operates 24 hours a day, since the tea cannot be stopped at any point during the process; otherwise it would “mushroom” (mold).

Besides the white, green and black varieties, there are also different grades or qualities that are somehow separated by the machines (good and poor) and the prices reflect accordingly. The sample on left (lighter color) is of poor quality while the others are high quality. Sometimes the two will be mixed to sell an inferior product. After a very sensory tour (sights, sounds and smells), we enjoyed a cup of hot tea while being shown samples of their various teas. We learned that 90% of the tea grown in Indonesia is exported. So if you’ve enjoyed a glass (or cup) of tea recently, it may very well be grown here in Indonesia. Btw, I asked and they said that Lipton is good quality. Bagus!

not the best photo, but I'm toasting to Bandung!

all dressed up and ready to go