Drying Tea Leaves

Drying TeaHarvest young leaves in spring and process for different teas.

Black Tea - Taken from new growth in spring.

Bruise leaves by rubbing them between your palms. They should discolor to a reddish brown.

Spread them in a single layer on a tray and let them air dry from two to three days.

Apply heat by placing the partially dried leaves in a 250 Degree F oven for 20 minutes. The best approach for uniform drying is to place them on a cookie sheet in a single layer.

Place dried leaves in a container with a tight fitting lid. Keep away from light and moisture.

Green Tea - Taken from very young leaves and buds.

Steam leaves for 60 seconds. You can use a commercial steamer, or place a colander on a pot of boiling water.

*Apply heat by placing the partially dried leaves in a 250 Degree F oven for 20 minutes. The best approach for uniform drying is to place them on a cookie sheet in a single layer.

Place dried leaves in a container with a tight fitting lid. Keep away from light and moisture.

White Tea - Use buds only.

White tea is taken from unopened buds only. You can use the same procedures for drying as you would for green tea.

For more interesting tea facts, visit my articles:

Growing the Tea Plant

The Health Benefits of White Tea

Comments

  1. Just purchased a 2 year old camelia sinesis plant. Thanks for a great reference page when it's time to make tea!

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    1. Congratulations! Making tea is a lot of fun. Homemade tea is a unique an tasty holiday gift, too. You can buy single use teabags online.

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  2. Do you have any suggestions on drying olive leaves for tea?

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  3. Hi fmajfarm:

    I haven't dried olive leaves myself, but did find an interesting PDF published by the Georgia Olive Growers Association that offers instructions. You can find it here: http://georgiaolivegrowers.com/documents/olive_leaf_tea.pdf Good luck.

    Sara

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  4. Do you have any idea how to dry leaves such as neem or soursop?

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    1. I haven't dried neem leaves myself, but I've read that the best approach is to dry them on warm, dry days in a shady location. Place a loose batch (say a large bowl full) on an opened paper bag and turn it daily. It should take 3 to 5 days to dry depending on the weather.

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  5. Thank you for the information about growing inside year round!

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