Plucking Tea is an art form and crucial to the quality of the final product. Fineness, understanding and desire to produce only the finest cup of tea is needed. No one pretends that it’s not hard work, but generations of families have and continue to work on our farms, plucking our fine teas with great pride in this centuries old harvesting technique.
A farmers day starts in the cool of the dawn, with the gentle hum of discussion rising along the farm tracks as everyone sets off for the days work.
Each bush is plucked approximately every 14 days, with only the fresh young, jade-green shoots picked. The top leaves and a bud from each bush, are rich in aromatic compounds having a balance of supple tannins giving body and power to the liquor without producing any unpleasant astringency. The leaves are collected in wicker baskets, which our artisans make on the farms.
At the end of a morning’s plucking round in the fields the picked green leaves are sorted, removing any that are damaged or have too much stalk attached. Any discarded leaves are collected and composted, returning the nutrients to the soils.
Because at the end of the day it is all about being in harmony with the soil to produce the perfect cup of tea.
