How to pick tea leaves video tutorial with Bella of Tregothnan Estate

If you've ever dreamt about growing your own tea, then you'll want to read this. In our latest video, Bella Percy-Hughes of Tregothnan Estate in Cornwall explains how to pick tea leaves and how they are processed.
Bella advises looking for the younger and lighter leaves: "We're looking for lovely, fresh green shoots and what we're looking for is the top two leaves. These are young waxy leaves – nice and soft."
Once picked, the leaves will need to be oxidised to make black tea. You can start by rubbing the leaves between your hands – this starts the oxidisation process.
She recommends putting some of the leaves in your coat pocket and squeezing them as you walk about. Within a week or so you should have a nice pocketful of tea!
You can read more about our visit to Tregothnan Estate in In The Moment issue 12 – out in the UK on 1 May 2018.
Read more related articles:

Photography by Jane Orme and Tregothnan Estate.
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.