From the Sacred Gesture to the Cup ☕

Behind every great cup of tea lies a suspended moment, an unchanging ritual repeated every morning on the misty slopes of mountains around the world. Long before withering, oxidation, or tasting, the destiny of a grand cru is decided at the fingertips.

Join us into the plantations to discover the delicate and crucial art of tea plucking. 🌿

💃 A Dance of Precision: The Types of Plucking

The tea plant (Camellia sinensis) constantly produces new buds. Depending on the desired aromatic profile, the pluckers make a meticulous choice. We distinguish three main methods of manual plucking:

1. 👑 Imperial Plucking (The Holy Grail)

• What is it? Only the terminal bud (called pekoe) and the very first leaf following it are picked.

• The result: An absolute rarity. This is the plucking reserved for the most prestigious white teas (such as the famous Silver Needle) and certain exceptional green teas. The aromas are incomparably delicate, very smooth, and naturally rich in caffeine.

2. ✨ Fine Plucking (The Perfect Balance)

• What is it? It consists of plucking the bud and the next two leaves.

• The result: This is the standard of excellence for the majority of great teas. The first two leaves provide body and structure, while the bud preserves the delicacy and freshness of the aromas.

3. 🍁 Medium Plucking (Generosity)

• What is it? The bud is harvested accompanied by three leaves (or even four for certain Oolong teas).

• The result: The lower, more mature leaves contain less caffeine but offer more woody, structured, and sometimes fruitier notes.

⏱️ The Time Factor: A Matter of Seconds

Plucking is not just a matter of gesture, it is also a question of perfect timing. 🌅

• 💧 The hour of the dew: The harvest generally begins at sunrise. It is necessary to wait for the morning dew to evaporate, because a leaf that is too damp could start an undesirable fermentation in the harvest baskets.

• 🌱 The seasons (The "Flushes"): In India or Nepal, the plucking period radically changes the taste of the tea. The First Flush (spring plucking) gives lively and floral teas. To discover this profile in a cup, you can also explore our Himalayan FTGFOP1 Orange Hill 1st Flush. While the Second Flush (summer plucking) offers more mature and muscatel notes.

💡 Did you know? An experienced plucker can harvest up to 30 kg of fresh leaves per day. To obtain only 1 kg of dry tea, it takes about 4 to 5 kg of green leaves! 🧺

🤝 Why "Handmade" Changes Everything

In the era of mechanization, why persist in plucking tea by hand? The answer lies in one word: respect. ❤️

Harvesting machines cut the leaves indiscriminately, breaking the stems and mixing tender leaves with hard leaves, which brings a bitterness that spoils the experience.

The human hand, on the other hand, knows how to assess the maturity of a bud with a simple glance and detach it with a gentle pressure, without ever wrinkling the leaf. It is this unique care that guarantees the purity of the flavors you find in your cup.

🚀 Final Word

The next time you prepare your tea on Cap sur le Thé, take a moment to watch the leaves lazily unfurl in the water. You will see the work of passionate artisans, whose ancestral know-how travels from the plantation to your daily moment of serenity. 🧭

Every cup is a journey. Bon voyage to everyone! ✈️🍏

Article written by the crew of Cap sur le Thé — discover our story.