Store Compagnie & Co Tarry Souchong

Every tea plant originally gives the same type of tea

After picking, several different operations transform the green leaves into black tea: these operations are carried out in the region where the tea is grown.

Withering: Withering consists in leaving the leaves to dry in the open air so that they lose a large part of their water content. 

Rolling: The leaves are rolled together, taking care not to break them. This releases some of the sap and juices that give black tea its characteristic flavour.

Fermentation: During this phase the leaves are placed in a humid oven for several hours: oxidation takes place and the leaves turn black. Semi-fermented teas (such as Oolongs) have a shorter fermentation time, which explains their slightly bluish colour.

Sifting and grading: The various operations can break the more fragile leaves; quality teas are made from the whole leaves that remain in the sieve. The black tea is now ready to be packaged and sent to Compagnie & Co, where it will either be packaged directly or flavoured.

If the process is more or less the same in the different regions of production, the duration of the various steps can change and, as a result, black teas with different notes and savours are obtained. This can be compared to wine production: in the same wine-growing region, wines differ from one vineyard to another.

Compagnie & Co has a wide selection of plain black teas.

Treat yourself to one of our Yunnan, Oolong, Ceylon, Pu Erh or Lapsang Souchong teas.