Various reconstituted instant teas
Production of instant tea can be broken down into six main steps: selection of raw materials, extraction, aroma stripping, tea cream processing, concentration, and drying.
Selection of tea leaves is done with the best interests of both the manufacturer and end user. Because of certain legal restrictions in tea producing countries, it is most cost effective for manufacturers to use fermented, undried black leaves, as they do not have to pass through public auctions and are therefore cheaper. Quality is not sacrificed, as research has been done to show that this type of leaf has similar flavor when compared to dried, black leaves.
