Smoked Tea

When tealeaves are gathered there are four main factors that affect the quality of the tea that they produce. They are the following:

• Where the tea is grown.
• The season the tealeaves are picked.
• What part of the tea plant is picked.
• How the tealeaves are processed.

Generally there are three harvesting seasons for tea plants. They are spring, summer and autumn. While a few of the warmer regions sneak in a winter harvest also, generally tea is harvested in three flushes from March to November, spring, summer and autumn.

Tea is also harvested in different grades, with the highest grade gathering just the bud and one leaf from the tea plant. The fine grade is gathered with the bud and two leaves being plucked from the tip of the shoot on the tea plant. Then the average grade of tea is gathered with the bud and three leaves from the tea plant. Then there is one more round of gathering where the fourth and fifth leaves, also called Souchong, are plucked. These are the leaves that are found in Chinese smoked tea.

The Chinese found a subtle method for using Souchong or the larger and older tea leaves that generally will yield a very light brew. They aromatize the leaves by smoking them. Performed by skilled artisans, the whole tea leaf is first fermented just like a black tea, and then it is lightly roasted on a heated iron tray. The leaves are then spread on a bamboo rack and laid over a fresh spruce or pine fire to infuse them with their smokiness.

Almost all smoked tea is produced in China or Taiwan. Some varieties roll the leaves lengthwise, and others may break the tealeaf to put it into a teabag. When the leaf is broken it results in a stronger brew, and the tea loses some of its special light quality. This light smokiness is what makes smoked tea so delectable.