Quick Answer

Tea is made by harvesting the young leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) and carefully processing them. The main steps are withering, rolling, oxidation (or preventing oxidation), drying, and sorting. The way these steps are performed determines whether the tea becomes green, black, oolong, yellow, white, or another style.

Despite the many varieties of tea, they all begin with the same plant.

It All Starts With Fresh Tea Leaves

Every true tea begins with Camellia sinensis. While there are many cultivars grown around the world, the journey starts the same way: harvesting fresh leaves.

The quality of the finished tea depends on many factors, growing conditions, including the season, weather, the age of the leaves, and how they're handled after harvest.

(We'll dive deeper into how tea is harvested in our upcoming guide on plucking tea.)

Step 1: Withering

Fresh tea leaves contain a lot of moisture.

Withering allows some of that moisture to evaporate, making the leaves softer and more flexible for the next stage of processing. It also begins developing aroma and flavor.

Depending on the style of tea, withering may last only a few hours or much longer.

Step 2: Rolling

Next, the leaves are gently rolled, twisted, or shaped.

Rolling does more than create the appearance of the finished tea. It also breaks some of the leaf cells, releasing natural enzymes and juices that influence flavor during oxidation.

Some teas are tightly rolled, while others remain loose and whole.

Step 3: Oxidation (or Stopping It)

This is where green and black tea begin to take very different paths.

Green Tea

For green tea, oxidation is stopped almost immediately after harvest using heat. This helps preserve the tea's fresh, grassy, and vibrant character.

Black Tea

Black tea is intentionally allowed to oxidize. During this stage, oxygen reacts with compounds inside the leaves, creating the rich color and bold flavors people associate with black tea.

Oxidation is one of the biggest reasons green and black tea taste so different—even though they come from the same plant.

Step 4: Drying

Once the desired level of oxidation is reached (or prevented), the leaves are dried.

Drying removes most of the remaining moisture, helping preserve the tea while locking in its flavor and aroma.

Proper drying allows tea to remain stable for months or even years when stored correctly.

Step 5: Sorting

Finally, the finished tea is sorted.

Leaves may be separated by size or appearance before packaging. Contrary to popular belief, whole leaf tea isn't simply about larger leaves—it's also about preserving the integrity of the leaf throughout processing.

What About Oolong, Yellow, and Pu'er Tea?

Not every tea follows the exact same process.

Oolong Tea

Oolong is partially oxidized, falling somewhere between green and black tea. Many oolongs also include repeated bruising and resting cycles to carefully develop their complex flavors.

Yellow Tea

Yellow tea includes a unique step called sealed yellowing (Men Huang) after the leaves are heated. During this stage, the warm leaves are gently wrapped or covered, creating the smooth, mellow character that makes yellow tea so rare.

Pu'er Tea

Pu'er is unique because it undergoes microbial fermentation after processing. Some Pu'er teas are aged naturally for years, while others are carefully fermented to develop their distinctive earthy character.

How We Make Tea at The Great Mississippi Tea Company

Growing tea in Mississippi brings its own opportunities and challenges. Weather, humidity, and seasonal conditions all influence when we harvest and how we process each batch. 

Regulations have made some of our processing steps different. We think better honestly, as every step of processing takes place in a temperature controlled facility ensuring a very food safe product.

Many of our teas are handcrafted in small batches, allowing us to adjust processing as the leaves change throughout the season rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.

It's one of the reasons no two harvests are ever exactly alike and why making tea is as much craftsmanship as it is science.

From Leaf to Cup

Whether you're enjoying a bright green tea or a bold black tea, you're tasting the result of a series of carefully timed decisions made long before the water ever touches the leaves.

Every tea tells the story of how it was grown, harvested, and processed.

We're proud to share that journey, the innovation, from our Mississippi tea fields to your cup.