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KATY FENTRESS
the Indians, the world’s largest tea
consuming nation, brew their tea
with milk and no water, a selection
of ‘Masala” spices and serve it out of
disposable earthenware cups.
In Kenya, tea cultivation and
consumption was initially introduced
by the British before being
transformed into a popular national
staple. Kenyan brewing techniques
are closer to the Indian ones than
those of their former colonial
administrators and involve boiling
the tea, water and milk together to
form a strong, invigorating brew. Tea
may also be consumed without milk
and is known as Strungi, a play off
the term “Strong Tea”.
In decreasing order, China, India,
Kenya, Sri Lanka and Turkey are
together responsible for producing
roughly 75% of the world’s tea.
“When it comes to tea there are
few climates around the world
that can compare to ours” smiles
Moses Changwony, Group Managing
Director at Kenya’s Sasini Tea and
Coffee production company. By
his accounts, Kenya’s domestic
consumption alone stands at
27 million kg each year. Despite
growing on rather sizeable bushes,
it is only the tips of the Camelia
sinensis plants that get collected.
“Here in Kenya, all of our tea
harvesting is done by hand” says
Changwony. When machines are
used, he explains, they pick the
tougher stalks lower down on the
bush and the leaves inevitably
get scorched. The best quality tea
derives from the light green leaves
that sprout at the top of the tea
plant.
Once collected, tea leaves must
first undergo a process of withering:
they are placed in cool, airy rooms
and wilted, so that excess water is
removed. After withering comes
rolling, which ensures that all the
remaining juices are squeezed out,
often by hand, to ensure maximum
taste. The next step is oxidation, a
process that naturally starts during
rolling but which is speeded up
when the leaves are spread out
on large boards where they are
alternatively sprinkled with water
and slightly warmed, in order to
ferment and develop their complex
individual sets of flavours. Oxidation
is only relevant to black teas and is
avoided with green teas in order to
preserve their antioxidant properties.
The final step is of course, drying,
after which the tea is ready for
auction.
About 0.5% of the tea Sasini
produces is destined