Air, or the general atmosphere, in rolling and fermenting rooms where leaf is being processed prior to drying must be conditioned to an extent which assures 80% to 90% humidity. However, Humidification must be so arranged as to condition the atmosphere without placing moisture globules in suspension. Moisture must not be absorbed by leaf, nor there sufficient moisture in the air to become condensed in the material being spread in the humidified room. All such additional moisture will require to be dried out t great cost and will generally reduce the output of tea drying equipment.

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Green tea is derived from the dried leaves of Camellia sinensis , an evergreen shrub. It has a very long history of use dating back to China approximately 5,000 years ago.

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The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots.  The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke. Links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the “French Paradox.” For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet.  In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers. 

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Tea arrived in Iraq from Persia. Iraqi tea is made with a samovar and a tea essence. Tea is drunk straight without milk or sugar, although sometimes a sugar lump is placed under one’s tongue or betweens one’s teeth, while the tea is being sipped.

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Continuation…. 

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ENZYME activity is maximum when leaf temperature is between 80^oF to 90^oF. Below 60^oF the action is very slow while at high temperatures Enzyme is rapidly destroyed. Its survival is limited at any temperature above 120^o F. When leaf is steamed during the process of ‘Green Tea’ making, the Enzyme is destroyed in 2 or 3 minutes.
Vegetable TANNINS, usually called Tannic Acids’ possess the property of hardening animal tissues in general, and turning hide into leather.
Tea leaf loses moisture through its ‘STOMA’, or pores from its inner cell structure and through the ‘EPIDERMIS’ or the outer layer, provided this process is allowed to take a natural course. Forced evaporation of this moisture could seal off the natural course. Forced evaporation of this moisture could seal off the natural courses for moisture to leave the cell-structure.
Caffeine is a slightly bitter, colorless compound which is present in tea leaf to the extent of 20% to 4.5%. It is an important constituent of beverages such as tea, coffee and cocoa and is the generator of stimulation which makes these beverages popular.
PECTIC ACID, derived from Pectins in tea leaf, is obtained by the action of the Enzyme ‘Pectase’ which splits ‘Pectins’ into pectic acid and methyl alcohol. The methyl alcohol evaporates from tea leaf during fermentation and drying, while the pectic acid makes the tea leaf more acid than before. Allowed to react under favourable conditions, pectic acid could convert the fermenting leaf into a jelly. The conversation of pectin to pectic acid is a slower process than the oxidation of utilizable matter hence it is important to encourage the oxidation process and accelerate same before pectic acid slows down oxidation rate. Some clonal leaves have very high pectin content which calls for speeding up of oxidative action during fermenting to reduce the danger of pectic acid forming and retarding oxidation.
ENZYME activity is maximum when leaf temperature is between 80^oF to 90^oF. Below 60^oF the action is very slow while at high temperatures Enzyme is rapidly destroyed. Its survival is limited at any temperature above 120^o F. When leaf is steamed during the process of ‘Green Tea’ making, the Enzyme is destroyed in 2 or 3 minutes.
Vegetable TANNINS, usually called Tannic Acids’ possess the property of hardening animal tissues in general, and turning hide into leather.
Tea leaf loses moisture through its ‘STOMA’, or pores from its inner cell structure and through the ‘EPIDERMIS’ or the outer layer, provided this process is allowed to take a natural course. Forced evaporation of this moisture could seal off the natural course. Forced evaporation of this moisture could seal off the natural courses for moisture to leave the cell-structure.
Caffeine is a slightly bitter, colorless compound which is present in tealeaf to the extent of 20% to 4.5%. It is an important constituent of beverages such as tea, coffee and cocoa and is the generator of stimulation which makes these beverages popular.
PECTIC ACID, derived from Pectins in tea leaf, is obtained by the action of the Enzyme ‘Pectase’ which splits ‘Pectins’ into pectic acid and methyl alcohol. The methyl alcohol evaporates from tea leaf during fermentation and drying, while the pectic acid makes the tea leaf more acid than before. Allowed to react under favourable conditions, pectic acid could convert the fermenting leaf into a jelly. The conversation of pectin to pectic acid is a slower process than the oxidation of utilizable matter hence it is important to encourage the oxidation process and accelerate same before pectic acid slows down oxidation rate. Some clonal leaves have very high pectin content which calls for speeding up of oxidative action during fermenting to reduce the danger of pectic acid forming and retarding oxidation.

 Continuation…..

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SEEPED IN TRADITION  Read the rest of this entry »