A wooden tray designed to encase a gridiron support, which in turn holds tea leaves heated in the furnace.

Gridiron support (Tea Making)

A wooden tray designed to encase a gridiron support, which in turn holds tea leaves heated in the furnace.

A kuo, used in making tea, is placed in a stove about nine inches below the stove's mouth.

Kuo in Stove

A kuo, used in making tea, is placed in a stove about nine inches below the stove's mouth.

Tea leaves are placed in bamboo baskets that hang from thin twine.

Leaves in Basket

Tea leaves are placed in bamboo baskets that hang from thin twine.

Five pounds of tea leaves are taken out of the steam bath and put in a stone furnace.

Leaves in Furnace

Five pounds of tea leaves are taken out of the steam bath and put in a stone furnace.

The tea leaves are taken to long, low tables where the stems and uncurled leaves are separated and discarded.

Sorting Leaves

The tea leaves are taken to long, low tables where the stems and uncurled leaves are separated and discarded.

The tea leaves are steamed until they reach a desirable fragrance.  They are then rolled or kneaded by hand into balls.

Tea Balls

The tea leaves are steamed until they reach a desirable fragrance. They are then rolled or kneaded by…

A machine with protruding handles used to roll tea leaves into balls.

Tea Leaf Roller

A machine with protruding handles used to roll tea leaves into balls.

A kuo basket is placed above a furnace to be hand-stirred by a worker in order to regulate the leaf temperature. Two other workers stoke the flames.

Tea Leaf Treatment

A kuo basket is placed above a furnace to be hand-stirred by a worker in order to regulate the leaf…

A winnowing machine was traditionally used to separate yield from chaff. The pictured type of winnowing machine was likely used to separate chaff from tea leaves.

Winnowing Machine

A winnowing machine was traditionally used to separate yield from chaff. The pictured type of winnowing…

Tea leaves are passed through sieves then winnowed via tossing on large bamboo trays.

Winnowing Tea Leaves

Tea leaves are passed through sieves then winnowed via tossing on large bamboo trays.