The diagram illustrates how black tea is manufactured using two different ways.
Overall, the process is man-made and linear, consisting of six steps that can be categorized into three main stages: harvesting, processing and producing the final tea product. Notably, black tea is produced through two separate methods before reaching the final stage.
There is one step included in the harvesting stage. Fresh tea leaves are picked; however, only the bud and the top two leaves are collected to ensure the quality.
During the processing stage, the black tea undergoes four different steps. Firstly, tea leaves are withered on a rack to remove 60% of moisture before being divided into two pathways. In terms of conventional method, the withered tea leaves are rolled until they become flat and broken with enzymes being released. Regarding the modern method, the tea leaves are cut, torn and curled (the size of the leaves are determined by the speed of the process). The leaves are then oxidized and fermented by being rolled on either tiles or cement, allowing the exposure to enzymes and air, which turns them copper in color. Following this, the copper leaves are fried and dried in an oven or hot air dryers to extract 97% of moisture in total.
Finally, the final black tea product is created with flavor and aroma released, marking the conclusion of the process.