Wuyi rock tea has been famous for a long time. The rock tea has a rich and high flavor, a delicate and long aftertaste, and the aroma of rock bones and flowers is unforgettable. The most important process of making rock tea is the fermentation and baking process. Today I will take you to understand the baking process and see how tea makers use roasting to make rock tea more flavorful!

Rock tea baking tips

There are thirteen steps in the traditional rock tea making process. With the modernization of tea factories, the tea making process has been simplified into six major steps: withering, greening, frying, rolling, roughening and finishing. The aroma of tea green tea is generally initially formed during withering. To stabilize the aroma of tea and enhance the tea flavor of tea products, we must rely on the baking process. Generally, the roasting of rock tea is roughly divided into three steps: Maohuo, Zuhuo and Chihuo.

#1: Maohuo - first roasting to dispel the green smell

Maohuo can be understood as the preliminary roasting of tea leaves. It is roasted at 120°C to 90°C from high to low temperature for about 15 minutes. The purpose is to dry out most of the water in tea leaves, volatilize the green flavor, and destroy the enzymes in the tea leaves. activity. Maohuo is the first fire after the tea leaves are withered and greened. It is also the basic step in the roasting process and initially builds the aroma of the tea.

#2: Zuhuo - re-roasted to consolidate the aroma

Full fire can be called double baking, and it is an essential fire skill in rock tea baking. The purpose of re-roasting is to stabilize the aroma. The tea greens are slowly roasted at a temperature of about 100°C for a long time, thereby stabilizing the aroma of the rock tea and enhancing the taste and body of the tea soup. Rock tea can be launched into the market after undergoing both rough fire and full fire. Generally, mid- to low-priced rock teas on the market are the finished products of these two fires.

#3: Eat Fire – Refined Tea Scent

Eating fire is the last fire in rock tea. This fire will increase the roasting aroma and flavor of the tea, and dry up the moisture of the tea, so that the excess moisture of the tea will not affect the shelf life. There are a total of three fires in the traditional tea making process. Some tea farmers will decide whether to perform the fire-making process based on the type and quality of the tea. Therefore, the fire-making process is the icing on the cake. Whether the tea can become a fine rock tea depends on the tea maker. Mastery of fire eating.

Rock tea roasting temperature

"Kancha roasted tea" is the key to making rock tea. In addition to the number of roasting times, the roasting temperatures used for different tea types are different. For example, the leaves of Huanghuanggui and Qilan are smaller and should not be exposed to excessive fire, so they should be Low-temperature baking should also take a relatively short time; narcissus leaves are larger, and the temperature and time they can withstand will increase accordingly.

Some tea drinkers mistakenly believe that good quality rock tea must have gone through a high roasting process to have a rich flavor, but this is not the case. Roasting temperature is not a factor that determines the quality of tea. On the contrary, for some rock teas with poor tea quality or tender tea leaves, tea makers will use high roasting temperatures to mask the bitterness or sourness.

In terms of roasting temperature, generally commercially available rock teas are medium or full roasted, with a high and fragrant taste but not bitterness, and a mellow, fresh and long aftertaste. Therefore, tea lovers should pay more attention when choosing rock tea. Try the tea first before buying. Don’t blindly choose rock tea with high fire power.

The above is a small encyclopedia about the roasting of rock tea. Our Wuyi rock tea is now on sale. Interested tea lovers can click here to inquire and receive a sample.

Suggested reading:

The secret of Wuyi rock tea! Myths about production areas

Things to do before buying tea! Things you don’t know about tea tasting