Step 5: Fermeation.
Fermentation or oxidization is the most important stage in the manufacture of black tea, and this process makes it uniquely different from all other teas. Fermentation is carried out in custom-designed fermentation rooms.

Depending on the temperature, maceration technique and the style of tea desired, the fermentation time range from 45 minutes to 3 hours. The characteristic coppery color and fermented tea aroma judge the completion of fermenting.

Step 6: Drying
This is the process that stops fermentation and introduces a stable product of low moisture content between 3.0 to 3.3% that can be shipped and stored.

It involves the physical removal of moisture and it’s a crucial process as it seals in all the flavour, aroma and character created during manufacture, that are released by brewing. Drying can therefore make a difference between a mediocre tea and a superb tea even though they may come from the same factory.

After drying the teas are then sorted into the four primary grades and three secondary grades. The sortation is by size and fibre content. The dry tea is exposed to static electricity-charged PVC rollers that pickup the fibres and the open leaf.

The thus separated teas are thereafter sorted by size, and packed .

Step 7: Tasting
During tasting, samples of tea are collected hourly from each grade and also the drier mouth teas and infused for five minutes in different cups.
The liquor is the poured to different bowls.

The taster then evaluates the tea for quality and manufacturing faults by sucking and atomising the liquid into his mouth and allowing it to linger there long enough for the flavour and character to be appreciated. He then spits it out or sometimes, swallows it. The infused leaves and the dry leaves are also inspected. The taster assesses the flavour, smell, colour etc of the infused leaf and the uniformity of size, fibre content and trueness of grade for the dry leaves.

The main purpose of tasting is to ensure continuous manufacture of high quality tea by detecting any faults in processing and taking timely remedial action.

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