Freshly plucked leaves are "withered" indoors in open air shelves without physical breaking of the leaf structure. After withering they are rolled to expose the enzymes in the leaf to the atmosphere, allowing them to ferment. At a critical point, the fermenting tea leaves are "fired" at high heat to stop the fermentation process. The resultant black tea is sifted or sorted ("Orange Pekoe" is simply a size classification in the sorting not a flavor), then packed into tea chests or bulk bags.

With green tea the plucked leaves are not fermented, but are subjected to steaming and parching to halt the fermentation of enzymes. Leaves are then rolled and dried prior to a final firing to halt any fermentation.