Production of Tea

We in Great Britain see ourselves as a great tea drinking nation, indeed tea has been drunk in the UK for over 350 years. However, in other countries tea has been the chosen beverage for over four thousand years, therefore tea drinking for us in Great Britain is a relatively new fashion trend!

Tea plants, or to be technical, the Camellia Sinesis, need warm regular temperatures all year round, with wet summers and dry winters. Hardly suitable for our British climate, this means our commercial teas need to be imported from China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Kenya and other exotic tropical climates.

There are many different grades and flavours of tea which are produced dependent on country, climate, soil type etc. It is also believed that tea plants which are grown at higher altitudes grow more slowly, have a better fuller flavour and produce higher grade teas. The top leaves from the tea plant are picked and taken to the factory as quickly as possible. At the factory the leaves are processed by withering, rolling, fermenting and grading before being packed and made ready for a global market.

The higher grade and best tasting teas are believed to be loose leaf teas; they are produced by using the same leaves from a single plantation. Most popular commercial branded teas use a blend of teas which come from many different sources; these are commonly sold as either pre packed blended teas or tea bags.

Here at The Traditional Tea Company we will endeavour to use our knowledge and expertise to research the best flavours from our suppliers. We are committed to bringing to you our customers a wide range of high quality loose leaf teas and single leaf tea bags for you to enjoy.