How Do You Harvest Camellia Sinensis?
Camellia sinensis is a true member of the camellia family. It is not generally grown for its flowers, as other camellias are, however. Camellia sinensis is grown for its leaves, which are used to make the world’s most popular beverage—tea. Tea is grown throughout the world, but predominates in Asia, where it originated. Harvesting and preparing the leaves of Camellia sinensis can be a laborious process, depending on the type of tea being produced. Most tea leaves are hand picked at the peak of freshness, when the leaf buds and new leaves are just opening. Harvest tea leaves at the first flush of new growth in the early spring and again in the summer, when another flush will occur. Harvest the leaves in the morning or dusk, when they are at their freshest and best flavor. The total average yield for one Camellia sinensis plant is around 3,000 leaves per year. Determine the size of the leaf to be plucked. Select larger leaves to produce a lot of a coarse grade tea, medium sized leaves
