Organic Rooibos Tea

Organic Tea Wholesale

 The different batches of unprocessed tea used for experiment II were sampled at the Organic Tea Wholesale Co-operative over a 3-week period. Sampling took place during cutting of tea (in excess of 1 ton) delivered to the Co-operative by the different farmers. Preparation of the tea for fermentation was carried out as described under Experiment I.

 Fermentation of rooibos tea (Aspalathus linearis) according to the traditional open-air method has the disadvantages of dependence on the weather, no control over processing parameters affecting quality and a product of inconsistent quality. Open-air processing is also more likely to result in an unhygienic product. These disadvantages could be overcome by processing under controlled conditions. Continuous fermentation in deep bed layers, as used for black tea manufacture, could be an option for co-operative processors handling large volumes of lea. Batch fermentation as opposed to continuous fermentation has the advantage that processing time can be adapted to ensure optimum quality for each batch of tea processed. Tea originating from some plantations ferments at a faster rate than others and fixed fermentation times can therefore not be used to optimize quality. Batch processing also enables the farmer to achieve product differentiation to cater for a niche market, demanding a specific sought-after flavour.

 

 Adequate aeration during organic rooibos tea fermentation is necessary for the required oxidative changes to take place. Traditional rooibos tea fermentation entails only periodic aeration, which is accomplished by turning the fermentation heap over a few times with spades or a rotavator. This action can be simulated with a rotary unit for controlled and mechanized aeration. Rotation at intervals would prevent oxygen depletion of the fermenting organic rooibos tea mass.

 

 A low-cost rotary unit that could be moved to location was developed for laboratory studies on controlled fermentation of rooibos organic tea wholesale. Aspects that were considered in its development were undesirable drying of rooibos tea during fermentation, the need for accurate control of tea temperature, adequate aeration during fermentation and the quality of the processed tea.