Plucking is the first step in the manufacturing process of tea and refers to the harvesting by hand of the tea plant. The plucking process occurs when the tea bush 'flushes' or pushes out new leaf shoots. For a fine black or green tea, the pluckers will take the first two leaves and one new bud. Tea is produced on large plantations or estates and picked by employed workers. It is also grown on small plots of land by small-scale farmers who sell their freshly-plucked green leaf to plantations or tea factories for processing into black tea. Tea is harvested several times a year, in spring, towards the end of summer and in autumn. But for many varieties, the motto is: Saving the best ..for first . Because the tea plant enters a dormant period during winter, growth during this time is slower and the aromas are stocked up on the inside.
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