Learn about tea leaves fixation in one minute

What is tea fixation?

Fixation of tea leaves is a process that uses high temperature to quickly destroy the activity of enzymes, prevent the oxidation of polyphenolic compounds, cause the fresh leaves to quickly lose water, and make the leaves soft, preparing for rolling and shaping. Its purpose is to remove the green smell and make the tea fragrant.

What is the purpose of  fixation?

Usually the raw material for tea fixation process is fresh leaves, namely tea leaves. The green leaf alcohol in the fresh leaves has a strong green smell, and trans-green leaf alcohol is formed after high temperature curing. Therefore, only after curing can the “green smell” of the fresh leaves be transformed into the “fresh aroma” of tea. Therefore, many teas that are not finished well have a green air instead of a fresh fragrance.

The importance of fixation

Fixation is a very critical step in tea production, because during the tea tasting process, we feel the quality of the tea, which is mostly related to finishing. For example: the green flavor is strong because the pot is not warm enough when frying or it is taken out of the pot too early and it is finished before it is thoroughly fried.

Fixation is like a terminator. Tea makers fry the tea leaves in tea fixation machine. The temperature of the machine is generally 200~240°C. High temperatures can cause the enzymes to lose activity. Kill the enzymes in tea leaves and maintain the bright green quality of green tea.

The difference between steam fixation and pan fixation

Both are cured at high temperatures, using high temperatures to destroy the activity of enzymes and maintain the color of the leaves. The tea leaves remove the grassy smell and emit a refreshing fragrance.

However,tea pan firing is done by dry heat. One of the important purposes is to dissipate moisture and make the leaves soft in preparation for the next step of twisting;

Steam curing uses moist heat. After curing, the water content of the tea will increase. Therefore, unlike kneading, which is the next step of frying and curing, steam-cured tea leaves also need a step to remove moisture . The methods for removing moisture include blowing fans to cool, heating and shaking dry.