Tea is the most popular drink in the world after water, and around six million tons of tea leaf is produced every year. Tea is grown in over 60 countries, but just a handful of these are responsible for the overwhelming majority of global production. While all regions will have their own styles, the same principles of cultivating tea, which we will look at in this article, can be seen across the globe, from Kenya to Korea.

In the last entry in this series, we talked about the different types of the tea plant, the Chinese variant and the Assam variant. These are the two main types, but within each of these are thousands of different cultivars. A cultivar is a cultivated variety that has been bred to highlight specific properties – it is up to the farmer to choose which cultivar they will use. Certain cultivars might be more resistant to frost, or produce a more floral tea. The type of tea the farmer is looking to create and the local soil and climate will influence what cultivar is used.

Tea is often grown on mountainous terrain, this is because the high altitudes are optimal for producing top quality tea and the tea plant enjoys soil with good drainage. In undulating tea gardens, such as in the Uva Mountains in Sri Lanka or Hunan in China, terraces are often carved into the hillside. These terraces optimise irrigation, as well as providing soil structure and easy access for the pickers.

Tea gardens found on lower flatter land such as in Kenya and Assam are better suited to producing the bold flavours that we love in our English Breakfast blend. In these gardens it is common to see what are known as shade trees planted at regular intervals among the tea bushes. These tall trees provide relief from the sun for the bushes, as well as encouraging bio-diversity and helping to fix nitrogen from the air into the soil.

Tea plants are raised from seed or cuttings in a nursery for three to five years before being planted in the tea garden where they are neatly trimmed to form box like hedges that stretch out in long rows. The reason for trimming the plants into waist height boxes is to make it easier for the pickers to harvest the young leaves. The flat top of the bush is referred to as a ‘picking table’.

When new shoots grow, the young, fresh leaves rise above the flat surface of the picking table, making them easy to spot and pick. To make tea, only the young and fresh leaves are used, as the older leaves are too tough and the flavour is not refined. Usually, the pickers will pick the top bud and a number of leaves below it – some companies will pick the lower leaves to increase yield, picking these leaves is known as “coarse picking”.

At Newby, one of the ways we guarantee quality is by only using the top bud and two leaves – known in the industry as “fine picking”. By using only the prime leaves we ensure top quality tea.

The tea plant is an evergreen but goes dormant over winter, meaning no new leaves grow during these months. At the start of spring the plants slowly wake up and send out new shoots. This first period of growth after winter is known as the first flush. While the plants lay dormant over winter, they continue to store nutrients in preparation for the spring – so these early shoots contain much higher levels of nutrients compared with late summer or autumn. The extra nutrients and the slow growth of spring make a refined tea, usually more delicate, but with more fragrance.

Another way Newby ensure top quality tea is by only using leaves picked in prime season. The early growth only makes up a fraction of total yield but produces a much more flavoursome and healthy cup of tea.

First flush season is the perfect time to celebrate spring. The arrival of warmer weather brings with it new growth. Tea is a natural product, full of life. At Newby we like to drink teas that reflect the season. Spring is the perfect time to enjoy nourishing and vital green teas such as our Hunan Green or Long Jing, delicate white teas such as luxurious Silver Needles or grassy oolongs.