How to Process Tie Guan Yin (TGY) Tea
Pluck the tea leaves (cai qing)., Dry tea leaves in the sun (sai qing)., Cool the tea (cai qing)., Toss the tea (yao qing)., Dry the tea in air conditioned environment (wei diao)., Repeat the tossing and drying as needed., Stop the oxidation process...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Pluck the tea leaves (cai qing).
Ideally, tea leaves should be picked between 11am and 2pm for the best quality, since that is when the sun is at its strongest.
Teas picked earlier in the day (8am-10am) or later in the day (3pm-5pm) will have a weaker quality, but if they ripen during these times, that's when they must be plucked.
Forfex clippers.
People used to pick tea with fingers, but it's easier to do with clippers/shears.
Here is a close-up of a tea plant.
Methods in plucking vary by how many leaves you pluck with a bud.Imperial
- the bud and first leaf to follow are taken.
Fine
- taking the bud and the two leaves that follow; produces the optimal quality of tea.
Average
- bud is taken with the first three leaves; allows the plant to grow better, but produces a lesser quality of tea. -
Step 2: Dry tea leaves in the sun (sai qing).
It is preferable to dry leaves in the sun rather than under artificial sources of heat.
Afternoon sun is usually the best choice.
Watch the tea carefully to ensure that it does not get burned.
When moving the tea, use bamboo dust pans. , Move the tea leaves out of the sun and lay them out to cool so that they don't turn yellow., This is a very important step.
Turn the tea carefully in a special bamboo drum to lightly bruise the edges of the leaves, which will accelerate the oxidation.
This is critical to the unique character of TGY tea.
Avoid turning the drum too much., Put the leaves into an air conditioned storage area and spread thinly for oxidation., You need years of experience to know how many times to toss and dry the tea, depending on the year, plantation, weather, and demand., Use a special round pan to stop the oxidation process., This process involves four smaller steps.
Wrap the leaves into a ball (shu bao).
Tumble the ball to create a round, tight shape (bao rou).
Break up the tea ball (da san).
Dry the tea again if it's too wet (wei hong).
Repeat these steps until a satisfactory shape is achieved. ,, -
Step 3: Cool the tea (cai qing).
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Step 4: Toss the tea (yao qing).
-
Step 5: Dry the tea in air conditioned environment (wei diao).
-
Step 6: Repeat the tossing and drying as needed.
-
Step 7: Stop the oxidation process (sha qing).
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Step 8: Curl the tea (rou nian).
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Step 9: Dry the tea for easier packing.
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Step 10: and pack the tea.
Detailed Guide
Ideally, tea leaves should be picked between 11am and 2pm for the best quality, since that is when the sun is at its strongest.
Teas picked earlier in the day (8am-10am) or later in the day (3pm-5pm) will have a weaker quality, but if they ripen during these times, that's when they must be plucked.
Forfex clippers.
People used to pick tea with fingers, but it's easier to do with clippers/shears.
Here is a close-up of a tea plant.
Methods in plucking vary by how many leaves you pluck with a bud.Imperial
- the bud and first leaf to follow are taken.
Fine
- taking the bud and the two leaves that follow; produces the optimal quality of tea.
Average
- bud is taken with the first three leaves; allows the plant to grow better, but produces a lesser quality of tea.
It is preferable to dry leaves in the sun rather than under artificial sources of heat.
Afternoon sun is usually the best choice.
Watch the tea carefully to ensure that it does not get burned.
When moving the tea, use bamboo dust pans. , Move the tea leaves out of the sun and lay them out to cool so that they don't turn yellow., This is a very important step.
Turn the tea carefully in a special bamboo drum to lightly bruise the edges of the leaves, which will accelerate the oxidation.
This is critical to the unique character of TGY tea.
Avoid turning the drum too much., Put the leaves into an air conditioned storage area and spread thinly for oxidation., You need years of experience to know how many times to toss and dry the tea, depending on the year, plantation, weather, and demand., Use a special round pan to stop the oxidation process., This process involves four smaller steps.
Wrap the leaves into a ball (shu bao).
Tumble the ball to create a round, tight shape (bao rou).
Break up the tea ball (da san).
Dry the tea again if it's too wet (wei hong).
Repeat these steps until a satisfactory shape is achieved. ,,
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Jerry Nguyen
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