OOCORP Agro Business Blog

Oxidation" is still referred to by some in the tea industry as "fermentation." This stems from an earlier belief that what was happening to the tea leaves was similar to fermentation of grapes into wine. Everyone now knows this is actually oxidation, but because of its long history, fermentation is still used.  All tea comes from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. The styles of tea are produced by altering the shape and chemistry of the leaf, rather unromantically called 'processing' or 'manufacturing.' Tea processing is five basic steps; some teas don't utilize all of these steps, while other teas repeat them several times. Basic processing is Plucking, Withering (allowing the leaves to wilt and soften), Rolling (to shape the leaves and wring out the juices), Oxidizing (see below) and Firing (ie: Drying).  The most crucial part, what defines the categories of tea, is Oxidizing. Oxidation occurs when the enzymes in the tea lea