The second subchapter of tea processing begins right where llesson 8/1 ended, with the Chinese 6-Categories Tea Classification System. Although originating from the Chinese tea culture, the system today finds wordwide application. This is not least because to this day virtually every type of tea from every growing region can be assigned within this system. At this, the assignment of a tea to a category takes place on the basis of certain processing features influencing type and degree of oxidation of the tea leaves.

The graph shows the processing steps for each of the 6 tea processing categories. In particular, the basic differences between the individual processing categories become clear.

Parameters of Tea Processing

Withering
Disruption of leaf structures
Oxidation
Fixation / “Kill Green”
Rolling
Heaping
Drying
Sorting
Ripening