Tea is made from steeping the leaves of Camellia sinensis in hot water. It was discovered in 2737 BCE in China and is the second most consumed beverage worldwide. Tea contains substances like caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline that have stimulatory effects. Tea processing involves withering, rolling, oxidation/fermentation, fixation, drying, cleaning, grading, and packaging. The key steps are withering to remove moisture, rolling to promote oxidation, oxidation to develop flavor, and drying to stop oxidation. Tea has a variety of health benefits like antioxidant effects and reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, and memory loss.

1. TEA
•SN:-Camellia sinesis
•Family:-Camelliaceae

2. Introduction
• Tea is a refreshing and aromatic drink made steeping the leaves
of Camellia sinensis in hot water.
• Tea contains 4 substances that have stimulatory effects on your
brain. The most well-known is caffeine, a potent stimulant that
you can also get from coffee and soft drinks. Tea also contains
two substances related to caffeine: theobromine and
theophylline.
• Believed to have been discovered in 2737 BCE by Chinese
sage/emperor Shennong, tea is the second most consumed
beverage in the world after water.
• Diploid chromosome number .
• Non alcoholic beverage .

3. Botanical Classification
 Kingdom: Plantae
 Division: Magnoliophyte
 Class: Magnoliopsida
 Order: Ericales
 Family: Theaceae
 Genus: Camellia
 Species: Camellia sinesis

4. Uses
 As a beverage: Tea contains alkaloids called thein ( 2 to 5
%) which is a caffeinaceus alkaloid relieving body fatigue.
However, excessive tea drinking is harmful to our digestive
systems.
 Polyphenols present in tea reduces blood cholesterol and
cures hepatitis, hypertension, stone formation etc. (Heart
attack is due to cholesterol + triglycerides which is a
saturated fatty acid)
 Medicinal properties: Black tea (a fully fermented tea) is
anti ulceric and ant carcinogenic in nature.
 Contains less caffeine than coffee.

5. Uses
 Packed with antioxidant.
 Fight cancer.
 Burns fat and help in weight loss.
 Prevent heart disease and stroke.
 Slow memory lose.
 Boost immune system.
 Relieves stress and keep your smile bright.
 Corrects digestive issues.
 Lower blood pressure.
 Contain Polyphenyl pigment which reduce cholesterol of
body.

6. Origin and Distribution
 Tea plants are native to East Asia, and probably originated in the
borderlands of north Burma and southwestern China.
 Country of origin: China
 The region from South East China (Szechwan-Yunnan) to Assam
(India) has been reported as the centre of origin of the tea plant.
 It is distributed almost 93% in developing countries.
 Nepali tea is made from the leaves of the tea plants which are
distinctive in appearance aroma and taste but are similar in tea
producing in Darjelling due to the similar in belts of Darjelling and
Nepal tea growing region i.e. western part (Illam).
 Asia = 86 % of area and
 Africa =8 % of total area (during 1986 %).
 India produces nearly 30 % of world tea production followed by China
(22 %) and Sri Lanka (8%).

7. Area and Production in Nepal
Year Area (ha) Production(mt)
2071/72 19271 21394
72/73 20165 23187
73/74 28241 24409

8. Different features of Assam and Orthodox Tea
Features Assam tea(Camellia
sinenis var. assamica)
Orthodox
tea(Camellia sinensis
var. sinensis)
Stature Tree Shrub/bush
Branches and growth rate Few robust branches and
quick growing
Abundant branches slow
growing
Leaves Large(15-20 cm long) and
glossy and less serrated
Small(4-10 cm long),
leathery and more
serrated
Yield High yield Low yield
Susceptibility to drought
and frost
Susceptible Hardy and resistant
(Winger hardy)
Economic life Less ( 40 years) More (Over 100 years)

9. Variety
 Varieties grown in Nepal.
CTC tea Orthodox tea
TV series 1-30, Hilika, Manchari, Tinauli,
Nagarjuli, etc.
Gumti, Selection, Takda-78, Takda-125,
Takda-78, Ambari-2, etc.
Assam tea Orthodox tea

10. Climate
 Tea is a subtropical species.
 Tea prefers a climate which is moist, warm and winter is
not too cold.
 Optimum temp.=16-32 degree celsius.
 Temp. ranging from 10-38 degree celsius.
 1800-2000 m altitude.
 1500-2500 mm rainfall.
 Critical day length for vegetative growth =10.5 hours.
 Humidity = 80%
 Frost causes adverse effect on tea bush, especially in the
ravines.

11. Soil
 It prefers soils rich in organic matter with well drained
situation where forest land and deep loam rich in organic
matter is very ideal for production of tea.
 Tea is a calcifuge and an aluminium accumulator.
Performance of tea in soils with higher Ca is not
satisfactory. It grows on soils which are generally rich in
iron and manganese.
 pH=4-5.(Acidic)

12. Planting material and plant propagation in tea
 Seed propagation:-
 Seed is convenient to use as planting material in tea. Till
today tea is generally propagated from seed.
 But during recent years to use of high yielding clonal
material = Hence Vegetative propagation. Tea is out
breeding, and will not produce true seeds because of
sterility. Genetically it is heterogeneous for potential yield,
disease resistance and manufacturing quality.

13. Planting material and plant propagation in tea
 Vegetative propagation
 Different vegetative propagation methods can be adopted
in tea:-
1) By budding
2) By grafting on rootstocks
3) By layering
4) By cutting = popular method of vegetative propagation.
Vegetative propagation by budding, grafting or by layering
are too labourious to adopt.
 Commonly practiced propagation in tea is Cleft grafting.(6-
8 months).

14. Land preparation
 Prior to planting of tea the land must be cleared of existing
growth, be it old tea, jungle or bare land. This is followed by deep
forking the land to the depth of 18” to 24” by which all old roots
and stones are removed and the land levelled.
 Prevent water logging.
 If necessary burning is done away from the planting site. Tea
bushes will be having an economical life of over 40 years. While
selecting sites following precautions should be taken:-
1) Sloppy land or hilly terrains or jungles: Take
adequate soil conservation measures to protect soil erosion and
also moisture conservation.
2) Soil:- Acidic soil with adequate depth, good drainage etc.
3) Temporary shade trees: Shade has to be provided for young
developing plants.

15. Transplanting and Spacing
 Transplanted in pre-monsoon and late-monsoon or during
low rainfall.
 For 1 ha land, 14000-16000 seedlings are required.
 Spacing:-
Orthodox tea=0.6*0.4 m (60*40 cm)
CTC tea=0.9*0.6 m (90*60 cm)
 High density planting spacing=0.5*0.4 m (50*40 cm).

16. Methods of Planting
 Single Hedge System:- In this method,
the spacing adopted is 1.20 x 0.75 m accommodating
10,800 plants/ha.
 Double Hedge System:-In this method,
the spacing adopted is 1.35 x 0.75 x 0.75 m accommodating
13,200 plants/ha.

17. Fertilizer and Manuring
 RDF =60:30:30 NPK kg/ha.
 Zinc sulphate should be applied within 7 - 14 days after
ground fertilizer application. If deficiency symptoms
of nitrogen (general yellowing) are observed, apply 2 to 4%
of urea. Apply 8 to 16 kg of urea per ha in 400 l of water, as
and when necessary.
 Manuring of tea enhances vegetative growth for the harvest
of tender tea leaves without affecting bush health and the
reproductive phase. Manuring is contributing 17-24 per
cent of the total inputs used for tea cultivation; hence, it
should be used judiciously.

18. Intercultural Operation
 Training and Pruning in Tea:-
 Normally tea bushes are established within a month
after planting. Within a period of 12 to 18 months they
reach a height of 60 – 75 cm (Field plucking stage) and
after this stage pruning is taken up.
 Pruning operations for bush formation
 Water participates directly in many metabolic processes.
Inter-conversion of carbohydrates and organic acids
depend upon hydrolysis and condensation reactions.
 Water increases the rate of respiration. Seeds respire fast in
the presence of water. (TBC……)

19. Intercultural Operation
 Water is the source of hydrogen atom for the reduction of CO2 in
the reaction of photosynthesis.
 Water acts as a solvent and acts as a carrier for many substance.
It forms the medium in which several reactions take place.
 Water present in the vacuoles helps in maintaining the turgidity
of the cells which is a must for proper activities of life and to
maintain the form and structure.
 Water helps in translocation of solutes.
 In tropical plants, water plays a very important role of thermal
regulation against high temperature.
 The elongation phase of cell growth depends on absorption of
water.

20. Intercultural Operation
 Purpose of Pruning in tea:-
1) Space utilization.
2) To induce vigor in growth/ to maintain plants
permanently in vegetative phase.
3) To maintain the height of the plucking table.
4) To remove interlaced (criss cross) branches, dead,
diseased, knots and over aged wood.
5) To create congenial microclimate within the plant.
6) To maintain a balanced number of branches and sufficient
volume of mature foliage to meet the physiological needs of
the plant. (TBC…….)

21. Intercultural Operation
7) Drought tolerance.
8) Maintaining the quality of tea.
9) To minimize pest and disease attack on tea bush.
10) To pluck maximum number of tea shoots/ leaves from
convenient height.

22. Intercultural Operation
 Plucking:-
 Picking of young tea shoots having two to three leaves and
soft dormant shoots (banjhi) is known as plucking.
 Plucking is the most labour intensive field operation
in tea plantations. Hence, the profitability of tea plantations
depends to a large extent on the harvesting policies.
 Newly grown vegetative shoots.
1st leaf (28% tannin).
2ndleaf (21% tannin).
3rd leaf (14% tannin).
Bud (25% tannin).

23. Harvesting
A. Darjeeling and Nepal:-
 Here the tea has three major flushes which are:
 First or spring flush from mid-March to May and the teas
are clear, light and aromatic,
 Second or summer flush from June to mid-August and the
teas come with dark color and strong flavor, and
 Third or autumn flush from October to November and the
teas come with full body, coppery color and lighter flavor.
 This product commands the least market price compared to
the first two.

24. Harvesting
B. Assam:-
 Assam is the single biggest tea producing region in the
world.
 Here the planters harvest the tea leaves from March to
Mid-November.
 Though there are four flushes or seasons for Assam tea, you
will get the better quality tea on the first two flushes.
 The first flush or the spring flush starts in late March.
 The second flush occurs during end of May to June. This
season produces the best quality tea leaves with gold tips,
the raw material for the prized “tippy tea”. (TBC…….)

25. Harvesting
 The teas produced during the second flush are maltier,
sweeter and more full-bodied compared to any other tea
produced during the year.
 The Monsoon flush arrives on the back of monsoon rains. It
begins immediately after the second flush and continues up
to the end of September.

26. Processing
Withering / Wilting:-
 The tea leaves begin to wilt soon after picking.
 Withering is used to remove excess water from the leaves
and allows a very slight amount of oxidation.
 The leaves can be either put under the sun or left in a cool
breezy room to pull moisture out from the leaves.
 The process is important in promoting the breakdown of
leaf proteins into free amino acids.

27. Processing
Rolling / Disrupting:-
 The tea leaves are bruised or torn to promote and quicken
oxidation.
 The leaves may be lightly bruised on their edges by shaking
and tossing in a bamboo tray or trumbling in baskets.
 More extensive leaf disruption can be done by machinery.
 The damp tea leaves are then rolled to be formed into
wrinkled strips, by hand or using a rolling machine which
causes the tea to wrap around itself.
 This rolling action also causes some of the sap, essential
oils, and juices inside the leaves to ooze out, which further
enhances the taste of the tea.

28. Processing
Oxidation/ Fermentation:-
 For teas that require oxidation, the leaves are left on their
own in a climate-controlled room where they turn
progressively darker.
 This is accompanied by agitation in some cases. Oxidation
occurs during the manufacture of white, oolong, and black
teas.
 Green and yellow teas are prevented from oxidizing by
steaming, drying and/ or by frying techniques.
 During the manufacturing of tea, both spontaneous and
controlled oxidation occurs.

29. Processing
 Oxidation in tea manufacture officially begins during the
withering stage as spontaneous oxidation then accelerates
gradually during the subsequent steps necessary to
transform fresh leaf into finish black tea.
Fixation:-
 It is done to stop the leaf oxidation at a desired level.
 This process is accomplished by moderately heating the
leaves, thus deactivating their oxidative enzyme.

30. Processing
Drying:-
 Drying is done to finish the tea for sale. This can be done by
panning, sunning, air drying, or baking.
 The drying of the produced tea is responsible for many new
flavour compounds particularly important in green teas.
 Moisture is reduced to about 4%.
Cleaning and grading:-
 Fibre and grade tea are pass through different sized meshes
 Mainly there are four different main size :-
1) Whole leaf
2) Brokens
3) Fanning’s
4) Dust

31. Processing
 Some teas require additional aging, secondary
fermentation, or baking to reach their drinking potential.
Packaging:-
 After cleaning and drying they are passed through fibre
separating machine in which different size of meshes
separate the different sizes then they are graded and packed
in different size.

32. Thank You !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Presented By:- Presented To:-
1) Suman Ghimire Mr. Atish Pandit
2) Suman Bhandari
3) Subodh Poudel
4) Shushma Poudel
5) Sulochana Poudel
6) Srijana Chaudhari