How to Ensure Quality Management for Green Food Jasmine Tea
Because jasmine tea differs from other types of tea, it uses baked green tea base and fresh jasmine flowers as raw materials, and the processing has relatively strict requirements for moisture and temperature. Therefore, quality management for scented tea should pay special attention to raw material management, scenting process management, and environmental quality management.
1. Raw material management
Strengthen the procurement, acceptance, and management of raw materials. Confirm that the baked green tea base and fresh jasmine flowers come from production areas certified for green food. Especially for fresh jasmine flowers, strictly control the pesticides and chemical fertilizers used during cultivation, and distinguish between green food Grade A and Grade AA, to prevent contamination of the tea base that could lead to a downgrade or failure to meet the regulations and requirements for green food tea.
2. Scenting process management
According to HACCP management requirements, strictly monitor the "critical control points for hazard analysis" established during processing, and promptly remove waste and defective products that appear during processing. Conduct regular spot checks on the moisture content of the tea base during processing at fixed times and locations, and strengthen inspections during processing of the amount of flowers used, tea base temperature, moisture content, the morphology of fresh jasmine flowers, and the aroma, moisture, and temperature of the refired tea base. Strictly control the quality of the finished tea so that it meets the quality requirements of each variety and grade, and each scenting round; the moisture content of the finished tea must meet the finished product standards at each level, and the moisture content of scented tea should preferably be close to but not exceed the standard.
3. Environmental quality management
Because the tea base has strong adsorption capacity, it easily absorbs smoke odors and other foreign odors from the surrounding environment. Therefore, environmental sanitation management must be strengthened. Before production, sanitation work in the workshop must be done well, and the hygiene management of processing workers must be strengthened. Smoking is not allowed in the workshop, and operators entering the workshop must not use cosmetics. Scenting jasmine tea should be ensured to be carried out on dedicated flooring, bamboo mats, or in bamboo baskets, and must not be piled directly on cement floors. The packaging of jasmine tea must use packaging materials designated for green food, to avoid contaminating the tea leaves.
4. Production equipment management
Do a good job in the inspection and maintenance of production equipment to ensure smooth production during jasmine tea processing. For machines that require major repairs, it is best to carry out repair and assembly outside the workshop, to avoid polluting the air inside the workshop. Drying equipment should use electric heating as much as possible; for those using diesel and coal heating, the hot air furnace should be kept as far away from the scenting workshop as possible.