Darjeeling tea production is one of the most labour-intensive processes in the world. Harvesting is done by hand, and only the two leaves and a bud are picked. It takes approximately 20,000 to 22,000 shoots to produce 1kg of Darjeeling tea.

Leaves are spread in very thin layers under cool and humid environment to allow the rolled leaves to slowly oxidise. The process lasts between 1 to 4 hours, depending on the temperature, humidity and quality of the tea leaves.

The green leaves are evenly spread, allowing air to be passed through in a regulated manner to slowly evaporate moisture over a period of 14 to 18 hours.

The rolled leaves are taken for firing or drying for about 20 to 25 minutes, to stop any further oxidation and remove any extra moisture.

During the rolling process, the withered leaves are twisted and cell walls are broken. This process releases the natural juices that promotes oxidation.

The final stage is to sort and separate the dried leaves into different grades through vibrating sifters with various sized meshes.