"Two leaves and a bud" is the phrase every tea lover hears sooner or later. It describes the tender shoot plucked from the top of the tea bush — the raw material for fine tea.
This article draws on the Sri Lanka Tea Board's production process page and Wikipedia's tea processing article.
- The pluck: an unopened bud and two leaves
- Ceylon: hand-plucked (Sri Lanka Tea Board)
- Steps: wither, roll, oxidise, fire, sort
- "Fermentation": really oxidation
- Machine plucking: more broken leaves
What is "two leaves and a bud"?
The Tea Board describes skilled hands plucking only unopened buds accompanied by two leaves from each tea bush. Wikipedia calls this a flush: a terminal bud and two young leaves. The phrases "a bud and a leaf" or "a bud and two leaves" describe how "leafy" a pluck is.
By hand or by machine
The Tea Board states that Ceylon tea is still hand-plucked, unlike in most tea-producing countries. Wikipedia notes that picking is done by hand where higher quality is needed or where labour costs allow, and that machine picking produces more broken leaves and partial flushes — although correctly timed machine plucking can also produce good leaves.
From leaf to cup
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Plucking | A bud and two leaves are picked and carried to the factory in baskets |
| 2. Withering | Leaves are spread on troughs while air is circulated to reduce moisture |
| 3. Rolling | Machines break the leaf's cell structure, releasing its natural juices |
| 4. Oxidation | The leaf is exposed to air and turns brown ("fermentation" in the trade) |
| 5. Firing | Hot air dries the leaf and stops oxidation |
| 6. Sorting | Tea is sieved on a vibrating mesh into sizes and grades |
Source: Sri Lanka Tea Board production process. Grades such as OP and BOP come from the sorting step — see What is Orange Pekoe?
The people who pluck
Tea plucking is skilled, physical work. In Sri Lanka, the estate workforce has a long and difficult history, which we cover in The Communities Behind Ceylon Tea.
Fine tea starts with a skilled pair of hands choosing the youngest shoots, one at a time.
