Golden, Silver, Grey, and Black Tip - Exotic Teas

TIP - (Most commonly used word in tea)

The term tip is used to describe that portion of a tea which originates from the bud.  For it to be produced hairs must be present on the bud. the way the juices are distributed over the hairs, and the amount of hair present controls the color of the tip. If hairs are not present as a result of peculiar conditions of growth or rough treatment tip cannot be made.

The color of tip may be golden, silvery, grey or black.

(A) Golden tip - Orange in color. Produced when a large amount of hair is present on the buds and manufacture carefully carried out. To get the maximum color, leaf should be carefully handled,the wither good and rolling not too hard.

(B)  Silver Tip - This is generally produced when the wither is hard or when the hairs are insufficiently coated with juice as a result of very light rolling. (Also known as white tea.)

(C) Grey Tip - The main cause is damage during sorting.  It also results from a disorderly arrangement of the hairs that may be brought about by over-rolling. some of the hairs are removed and the mixture of a golden and black color appears grey to the eye.

(D) Black Tip - This is almost indistinguishable from the tea and is not due to over firing.  It is purely associated with the absence of hairs on the bud.

All the pictures shows Sri-Lankan Teas. 

Courtesy of :  ELK "Monographs on tea production in Ceylon"