General video · Level C1 - Part 2

How It's Made Oolong Tea

Like most teas, oolong is made from the leaves of a flowering plant species called Camellia Sinensis. Harvest time is during the plant's peak growing season,

Level: C1 · 54 sentences

Transcript

  1. Like most teas, oolong is made from the leaves of a flowering plant species called Camellia Sinensis.
  2. Harvest time is during the plant's peak growing season,
  3. which in Thailand is from May to November.
  4. Workers handpick what's known as the flush,
  5. a grouping of two young leaves and a bud which grows out the top of the plant.
  6. At this time of year, the plant produces a new flush every 7 to 15 days.
  7. An experienced tea master directs every phase of the processing.
  8. The first step of which is called solar withering.
  9. Workers bring the leaves into a glass roofed building,
  10. then spread them out in the sun for 15 to 20 minutes.
  11. This kick-starts the oxidation fermentation process.
  12. As the chlorophyll enzymes inside the wilting leaves start breaking down
  13. at the same time, the moisture inside begins evaporating.
  14. Workers keep moving the leaves around to ensure a thorough exposure to the sun.
  15. Then they gather up the leaves for step two: indoor withering.
  16. The leaves lie on bamboo trays for 6 to 8 hours,
  17. where gently stirred every two hours, they oxidize further.
  18. Step three: disruption.
  19. The leaves go into a rotating drum.
  20. As they tumble, they bruise and tear.
  21. This breaks down the cell structures,
  22. enabling oxygen to penetrate deep inside,
  23. greatly accelerating fermentation.
  24. This also releases the leaf juices,
  25. which helps dry out the taste of the tea.
  26. When the tea master determines the leaves have sufficiently oxidized,
  27. they stop the oxidation process by tumbling the leaves in a gas heated dryer for 10 to 15 minutes.
  28. This fourth step of the process is called fixation
  29. because it fixes the oxidation at the desired level,
  30. which can be anywhere from 8 to 85%,
  31. depending on the variety of Oolong in production.
  32. This is the most critical part of the process
  33. because it determines the tea's taste, aroma and color.
  34. The next step forms the tea leaves into tiny pellets.
  35. First, workers shake the leaves on a sieve to filter out the dust-like particles.
  36. Then they bag the leaves in a cotton cloth
  37. and place them first in a kneading machine.
  38. Then afterward in a rolling press,
  39. kneading and rolling the bag, twist the leaves inside into tiny pellets.
  40. Forming these pellet shapes intensifies the flavor of the tea.
  41. And when the tea is steeped in hot water, releases that flavor slowly.
  42. They repeat the seething, kneading and rolling cycle up to 35 times
  43. until the Tea Master is satisfied with the result.
  44. Then and only then does the final step begin: firing.
  45. They transfer the tea to an oven in which it undergoes three drying cycles of 20 minutes each
  46. at a temperature of approximately 100 degrees Celsius.
  47. This dries the damp tea,
  48. reducing the moisture content to the target level of less than 5%.
  49. The firing also brings out the fragrance.
  50. The traditional way to brew oolong is in a clay teapot
  51. using about two teaspoons of tea per cup.
  52. Ideally, the water should be 90 to 100 degrees Celsius.
  53. Steeping time is from 3 to 10 minutes
  54. and you can brew the same leaves up to five times.