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Galaxy tea factory follows an Orthodox Production Method |
Withering
The freshly picked green leaves are spread out to dry on ventilated trays. During this process, approximately 63% moisture is extracted from the leaves, making them soft and pliable for further processing.
Rolling
The leaves are then rolled by applying mechanical pressure to break up the cells and extract the cell sap. After 30 minutes, the leaves, still damp from the sap, are sieved to separate the finer leaves. These are spread out immediately for fermentation, while the remaining coarse leaves are rolled for a further 30 minutes under higher pressure. If necessary, this process is repeated several times. A short rolling time produces larger leaf grades, while longer rolling breaks the leaves up more resulting in smaller grades. During the rolling process, the cell sap runs out and reacts with oxygen, thus triggering the fermentation process. At the same time, the essential oils responsible for the aroma are released.
Fermentation
After rolling, the tea is spread out in layers approximately 10cm high for one to three hours in a cool, damp atmosphere to finish off the fermentation process. During this process, the substances contained in the cell sap oxidise. In this production phase, the green leaf gradually turns a copper colour. The colour and typical odour tell the person supervising the process how far the fermentation has progressed. Various chemical reactions cause the leaf to heat up during fermentation. It is critical for the quality of the tea that the fermentation process be interrupted at its peak, when the temperature is at its highest.
Drying
Sorting
Finally, the dried tea is sieved to separate the different leaf grades. The orthodox production method provides teas of all leaf grades: leaf, broken, fannings and dust. Leaf grades only refer to the leaf size; however, they are not necessarily an indication of the quality of the tea.
Grades of Tea
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Ceylon tea is divided into various grades. These grade names are an indication of size or appearance of manufactured leaf and not of its quality. |
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BOP Well-made, neat leaf of medium size without excessive stalk or fiber. There should not be any fine particles (fannings and dust) which are not true-to-grade. |
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BOP Sp Larger in size than a BOP lack and clean in appearance. Note: BOP & BOP special be treated as two grades, but for cataloging purposes treat as one grade. |
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BOPF Neat leaf, fairly clean. ….. but smaller than the BOP grade. There should not be any fine dust present. |
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BOP1 Should be wiry and twisted, but shorter than an OP1. |
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FBOP Smaller/shorter than BOP1 with presence of tips, but larger than FBOPF1. |
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FBOP 1 Long, twisted, wiry leaf. Fairly tippy. Longer than BOP1. |
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PEKOE Shotty, curly or semi-cirly leaf of large size of any elevation. |
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PEKOE1 Same as Pekoe, but smaller in size than Pekoe of any elevation. This replaces the Flowery Pekoe grade.Note: Pekoe and Fekoe 1 will be treated as two grades, but for cataloguing purposes treat as one grade. |
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FBOPF (FF) Similar in size to BOP……… and must contain tips. |
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FBOPF 1 (FF1) Larger than BOP. Smaller than a FBOP with a show of tips. |
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FBOPF Similar in size to BOP with a fair presence of tips. |
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FBOPF Ex. Sp. Small leaf and must have an attractive show of golden or silver tips with little black leaf. |
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FBOPF Ex. Sp1 Leafy and must have an attractive show of golden or silver tips with little black leaf. |
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OP 1 Long, wiry well or partly twisted. |
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OP Less wiry than OP1, but much more twisted than OPA. |
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OPA Long bold leaf tea with air twist. |
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BP – (Off Grades) Should e choppy, hard leaf. |
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BOP 1A – (Off Grades Any flak leaf without stalk and fiber (Clean tea). |
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BM (BROKENS) (Off Grades) Mixed flaky leaf tea. Can have more fiber and stalk than BOP 1A. |
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BT – (Off Grades) All mixed teas of varying sizes, with or without stalk and fiber. |
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FNGS 1 (FGS1) – (Off Grades) Flaky leaf of small size. Can contain more fiber than BOPF, but reasonably clean. |
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FNGS (FGS) – (Off Grades) Same as Fannings 1. Can be more fiber and uneven and not as clean as Fannings1. |
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DUST1 Smaller than BOPF. (Rainy even well-made and reasonably clean) |
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DUST (Off Grades) ………… size to Dust 1. Could be flaky and contain some fiber. |
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SILVER TIPS Long tippy leaf, silver in colour, with hardly any black leaf. |
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GOLDEN TIPS Long tippy leaf, golden in colour, with hardly any black leaf. Note: Tips and Golden Tips are not catalogued, but sold only privately. |
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DUST 1 Less grainy than PD. Clean. |
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DUST – (Off Grades) Inferior to Dust 1. Could be powdery and fibry. |
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