0:00:02 > 0:00:05- It's our national drink. - In the next 24 hours,
0:00:05 > 0:00:10we'll consume an astonishing 165 million cups of tea.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Which means most of us get through three a day.
0:00:14 > 0:00:19Tonight, we'll trace the journey your tea goes on, over 4,000 miles,
0:00:19 > 0:00:21from plantation...
0:00:21 > 0:00:22..to tea bag.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24300 people work in this factory.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28It runs 24 hours a day, five days a week,
0:00:28 > 0:00:31to keep up with our insatiable demand.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36'I'm Gregg Wallace.'
0:00:36 > 0:00:37I feel a bit nervous.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40That's a tonne of tea above my head.
0:00:40 > 0:00:41'And, in just one day,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44'I'll be making enough of these little fellas...'
0:00:44 > 0:00:46That's like making ravioli.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49'..for nearly everyone in Scotland and Northern Ireland
0:00:49 > 0:00:50'to enjoy a cuppa.'
0:00:52 > 0:00:54'I'm Cherry Healey...'
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Wowsers! Woohoo.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00..and I'm discovering that half the tea we drink
0:01:00 > 0:01:04comes from someone you would never expect.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06That would make a tea bag.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08'I'll also master the art...
0:01:08 > 0:01:11Surely the tea will be ruined?
0:01:11 > 0:01:14'..of making the very best tea bag brew.'
0:01:14 > 0:01:18It is, without doubt, the perfect cup of tea.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21And historian Ruth Goodman will reveal
0:01:21 > 0:01:25how tea kept our troops going in wartime.
0:01:25 > 0:01:26- Does the trick, doesn't it?- It does.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29- That's a good cup of tea. - It's a good cup of Rosie Lee.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34Over the next 24 hours,
0:01:34 > 0:01:3840 million tea bags will fly out of this factory.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41And we'll show you just what it takes to produce them.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43Welcome to Inside The Factory.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10This is the huge Typhoo tea factory on the Wirral, near Liverpool.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14As well as their own brands, they make tea bags for supermarkets.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18Altogether, they're responsible for about a quarter of all the tea
0:02:18 > 0:02:19we drink in the UK.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25Today, we are concentrating on the nation's favourite
0:02:25 > 0:02:27and, more importantly, my favourite -
0:02:27 > 0:02:29good old-fashioned builder's.
0:02:32 > 0:02:38This 28,500-square-metre factory has been creating our classic cuppa
0:02:38 > 0:02:40for 39 years.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45Here, I'll be transforming 20 tonnes of tea leaves
0:02:45 > 0:02:48into almost seven million tea bags.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53Up to five lorries arrive here every morning,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56packed to the brim with tea leaves from around the world.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Today, coming into the unloading bay is a delivery for me.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Meeting it is blending manager Dave Langton.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Dave. I'm Gregg.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16- Nice to meet you, Gregg.- Why have you got these great big things?
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Well, as you see, Gregg, on the container itself,
0:03:19 > 0:03:21it's actually got a seal on it which we always check
0:03:21 > 0:03:23before the vehicle's arriving
0:03:23 > 0:03:25to make sure the container hasn't been interfered with.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28- Come on, then, let's have it off. - OK. Do you want to do that?
0:03:28 > 0:03:29Really?
0:03:31 > 0:03:33- Where do you do it?- At the bottom.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Crikey, mate!
0:03:36 > 0:03:39GREGG GRUNTS
0:03:39 > 0:03:41- For crying out loud!- There we go.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45The countdown from sacks of leaves to my tea bags begins.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55Is that dried already?
0:03:55 > 0:03:57- Dried tea leaves? - That's dried tea leaves, yes.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00There's 20 pallets on that with roughly 24.5 tonne.
0:04:00 > 0:04:0224.5 tonnes of tea?
0:04:02 > 0:04:05- That's an astounding amount of tea.- Mm-hm.
0:04:06 > 0:04:07Do you know what? I'm just thinking,
0:04:07 > 0:04:10cos I've been through quite a few factories.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12This is going to make for a pretty quick show because all we've got
0:04:12 > 0:04:14to do now is open this up now and stick it into bags, right?
0:04:14 > 0:04:17No. There's a lot more process involved than that, Gregg.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24It'll take an hour to get these 20 pallets of dried leaves
0:04:24 > 0:04:26off the lorry and into the factory.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31While these guys unload,
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Cherry's been to see where almost half the tea
0:04:33 > 0:04:35they use here comes from.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41You're probably expecting me to be in India or China
0:04:41 > 0:04:44because that's where tea is grown, right?
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Well, no, I'm in Kenya.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54I'm 30 miles south of the equator, where Kenya's warm, humid climate
0:04:54 > 0:04:57is perfect for growing tea all year round.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03It has more than 800 square miles of plantations,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06and is the world's biggest black tea exporter.
0:05:08 > 0:05:13The majority of its crop is grown by half-a-million small-scale farmers.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15- Hi, Mr Mwangi.- Welcome.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20'Farm manager Simon Mwangi has got me on his picking team today.'
0:05:21 > 0:05:24You have a stick to maintain the plucking level.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27So anything above the stick I can pluck?
0:05:27 > 0:05:30Anything else cannot produce good tea.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33- So, only pick...? - Two leaves and a bud.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Two leaves and a bud. So that's the trick?
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Two leaves and a bud.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Yeah, you pluck like that.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42- Is that right?- Yeah, that's right.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45- That's the key to a good cuppa?- Yes.
0:05:45 > 0:05:46I'll give it a go.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52'The tea bush is a variety of the camellia family of plants,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56'more commonly seen as a flowering shrub in our gardens.'
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Oh, my God, she's so fast. You're so fast!
0:05:58 > 0:06:00'The top two leaves are known as the tips.'
0:06:00 > 0:06:02God, how can you even see them?
0:06:02 > 0:06:06'They're the youngest, tenderest leaves, and give the best flavour.'
0:06:06 > 0:06:09How are you so fast?!
0:06:09 > 0:06:12'I'm not sure I've got the technique quite right.'
0:06:12 > 0:06:15- Is that too long?- This can be...
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Taken down. So, they really just want the leaves?
0:06:18 > 0:06:23- Yeah.- Once you've picked the tea, how long does it take to grow back?
0:06:23 > 0:06:24About two weeks.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26Two weeks? That's so fast.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28And do you like tea?
0:06:28 > 0:06:29- Very much.- Do you?
0:06:30 > 0:06:33So, at the end of the day, do you have a nice cup of tea?
0:06:33 > 0:06:34- Yes.- Oh, do you?
0:06:42 > 0:06:44That would make a tea bag.
0:06:45 > 0:06:46Isn't that beautiful?
0:06:46 > 0:06:50These 12g of fresh green leaves will shrink down
0:06:50 > 0:06:53to just under 3g of finished black tea.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05I feel like my pile is very puny compared to everyone else's!
0:07:05 > 0:07:07Look at Aaron's!
0:07:07 > 0:07:09But you have tried.
0:07:09 > 0:07:10Everyone loves a trier.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12- Yes.- And I'm definitely trying.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18We're taking my leaves to the processing plant
0:07:18 > 0:07:19less than a mile away.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27It was built in 1965, and is now a cooperative,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30working with more than 6,500 smallholding farmers.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35Our fresh, delicate crop needs preserving quickly,
0:07:35 > 0:07:39to lock in its flavour, before it's shipped overseas.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41That... Wow!
0:07:41 > 0:07:42They move!
0:07:44 > 0:07:47'The process starts in the withering room.'
0:07:47 > 0:07:48Whoa!
0:07:48 > 0:07:50'Joseph Arethee is the factory manager.'
0:07:50 > 0:07:52Now what do we do?
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- We pour the tea...- OK. - ..from the bag.- OK.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58- Then we do the spreading. We spread it.- Spreading?
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Why do you do it like that?
0:08:00 > 0:08:04So we want to spread and then air it.
0:08:04 > 0:08:05So to cool it?
0:08:05 > 0:08:07- To cool it.- Right, OK.- Yes.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11The leaves sit here for 12 hours
0:08:11 > 0:08:16to let around 30% of their moisture content evaporate into the air.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Those destined for loose-leaf tea are rolled just enough
0:08:21 > 0:08:25to make them twist, which produces a lighter taste.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31The leaves for tea bags go through a cut, tear and curl process,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34which helps them infuse and brew more quickly.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38They're turned into a fine, wet mush.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00Next, this green paste must be aerated for 90 minutes.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08The oxygen reacts with the enzymes of the leaves,
0:09:08 > 0:09:09changing their colour.
0:09:14 > 0:09:15Yes.
0:09:16 > 0:09:17Yes.
0:09:30 > 0:09:31Not yet?
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Our damp tea needs one more crucial transformation.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48The mega-drier reduces the moisture level in the leaves to just 3%.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57Now it's dry, the tea is sieved and sorted by particle size,
0:09:57 > 0:09:58ready for packing.
0:10:08 > 0:10:15Just in that one pallet is 1,360kg of tea.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19Enough for almost half a million cups!
0:10:20 > 0:10:24It's taken around 18 hours to get my leaves from the field
0:10:24 > 0:10:25and onto this lorry.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30Now, it's heading off on a long and complex journey to the UK.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37First, it's driven for ten hours to the port of Mombasa.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43From there, a container ship carries it on a four-week voyage,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45calling at ports along the route,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48through the Suez Canal, across the Mediterranean,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52around the European coast, and into the Port of Liverpool.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58Once it hits dry land, it's just a 20-minute hop to the factory.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04Here, they buy leaves from seven countries around the world.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07And this morning's delivery from Kenya
0:11:07 > 0:11:09came from five different plantations.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Righto, Dave, we've got it unloaded. Now what?
0:11:13 > 0:11:16We're going to take samples to ensure what's actually arrived
0:11:16 > 0:11:18on site is what we've actually paid for.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20- Right, OK.- Would you like to take this sample for me?
0:11:20 > 0:11:24- What have I got to do?- OK, if you'd like to cut a V into the bag itself.
0:11:25 > 0:11:26What, either side of the elephant?
0:11:28 > 0:11:30- Whoa! Whoa!- And into your hand.
0:11:30 > 0:11:31There you go.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Oh, I see, you cut the V because, as soon as you push the V back in,
0:11:33 > 0:11:35- it stops coming out. - It stops coming out.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38That's something we've learned, that's something we've learned.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40Yeah. I can't believe that works!
0:11:40 > 0:11:44'Now my delivery needs testing to make sure it's up to standard.'
0:11:46 > 0:11:49- What is this?- This is our trolley to transport our samples
0:11:49 > 0:11:52- through to the tasting department. - Is that as hi-tech as it gets?
0:11:52 > 0:11:54- That is, I'm afraid. - How long have you had this trolley?
0:11:54 > 0:11:57That's probably older than me, that trolley, Gregg.
0:11:57 > 0:11:58All right, listen, cheers, mate.
0:12:02 > 0:12:03Just around the corner
0:12:03 > 0:12:06is the factory's tasting and blending department.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16The four experts here taste every consignment of tea
0:12:16 > 0:12:19that arrives at the factory.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Alan Hargreaves is head of buying and blending,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25and has been tasting tea for 30 years.
0:12:25 > 0:12:26- Alan.- Gregg.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28I've got samples.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30- Excellent.- Come on, then, get the kettle on.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31OK, we've got the kettle on there.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34So, first of all, we've got to weigh this up.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36So we're weighing roughly 2.8g of tea.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39- Which weighs the same as an old shilling.- Yes.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41And, if you look at what we've got in there, it's an old shilling.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44You know, this is a multi-million-pound, world industry,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47I've used a little shopping trolley to bring it here,
0:12:47 > 0:12:49you've put an old-fashioned kettle on,
0:12:49 > 0:12:51and now you're weighing it out with a manual scale
0:12:51 > 0:12:54- with a shilling in it. - It's a very traditional trade.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56This is brilliant.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58Just be careful cos it is a little bit hot.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00I want you to take a slurp.
0:13:00 > 0:13:01ALAN SLURPS
0:13:04 > 0:13:06Draw in air to the back of the palate,
0:13:06 > 0:13:08swill it around, and then spit it out.
0:13:08 > 0:13:09- Slurp it and spit it?- Yes.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12My mum spent almost 20 years telling me not to.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16GREGG SLURPS
0:13:18 > 0:13:21- Good?- Too good to spit out, mate, to be honest.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24ALAN CHUCKLES That is actually nice.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27If it's OK, can we just stick it in bags and send it out?
0:13:27 > 0:13:29No, no, no, we can't do that.
0:13:29 > 0:13:34This is just the first point of call of making the blend.
0:13:34 > 0:13:35So, what I have here...
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Hang on, hang on. Blend?
0:13:38 > 0:13:42So every blend basically is roughly 20 different tea estates.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46So the tea in my tea bag - that's a blend of different tea leaves?
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Correct.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52'The flavour of black tea varies from country to country,
0:13:52 > 0:13:54'even from field to field.'
0:13:55 > 0:13:58One thing you've got to remember, it's a vegetation crop,
0:13:58 > 0:14:00we have different climatic conditions,
0:14:00 > 0:14:01we have different processes.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04- In different weather and different soil?- Yes.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07- It's like making wine.- Yes. - But you're blending different teas
0:14:07 > 0:14:10from all over the world every single time...
0:14:10 > 0:14:13- Yes.- ..to make the flavour that you need?
0:14:13 > 0:14:15- Yes.- That's always the same?- Yes.
0:14:18 > 0:14:19Wow.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22I had absolutely no idea.
0:14:22 > 0:14:27Alan's team created the master blend in 1978,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30but the exact recipe changes every day,
0:14:30 > 0:14:32depending on the available mix of leaves.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37It's the only way to make sure the bags made this week
0:14:37 > 0:14:39taste exactly like the ones from last week.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Today, the Kenyan leaves I brought in
0:14:43 > 0:14:46are the crucial final ingredient.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50- Perfect.- So you're happy with this now.
0:14:50 > 0:14:51All right, so what do we do now?
0:14:51 > 0:14:55Yes. So I've got the recipe here, which is top secret.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57This one is for 20 tonnes.
0:14:57 > 0:14:58I'll pass that to you.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01You can take that into the factory and we can start blending it.
0:15:01 > 0:15:02And this is secret, is it?
0:15:02 > 0:15:03Top secret.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05Am I allowed to look at it?
0:15:05 > 0:15:06You can have a peep.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10It doesn't mean a lot to me, to be honest.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12So this one here is from Kenya.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14It's this key element which was the final piece of the jigsaw.
0:15:16 > 0:15:17I learnt a lot there.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19- I found that fascinating. Thank you.- You're welcome.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27All the work that Alan and his team do
0:15:27 > 0:15:32ensures that your tea tastes exactly the same every single day.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34But, as Ruth Goodman's been discovering,
0:15:34 > 0:15:36back in the Victorian era,
0:15:36 > 0:15:38you couldn't always trust what was in your brew.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47'In the early 19th century, if you wanted to buy tea...'
0:15:47 > 0:15:48Hello.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52'..you went to the grocer's and asked for it by weight.'
0:15:54 > 0:15:56But there was a problem -
0:15:56 > 0:15:59you had absolutely no idea whether what you were buying
0:15:59 > 0:16:01was, in fact, pure tea.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Tea adulteration was rampant.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11Historian Jane Pettigrew has been investigating the treacheries
0:16:11 > 0:16:13of the early tea trade.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Tea was so expensive in those days.
0:16:15 > 0:16:20The average price of a pound of tea in round about 1800
0:16:20 > 0:16:22was between 18 shillings and 20 shillings.
0:16:22 > 0:16:23RUTH GASPS
0:16:23 > 0:16:26That would be around £30 in today's money.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32The high cost meant it was tempting for fraudsters to fake it.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Unscrupulous traders would actually make false tea
0:16:35 > 0:16:38by picking leaves from other bushes and trees,
0:16:38 > 0:16:42and they would take those leaves and they would be boiled up
0:16:42 > 0:16:45in ferrous sulphate and sheep's dung!
0:16:46 > 0:16:50The chemical ferrous sulphate, along with the sheep's dung, added colour.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53And then that would be mixed with real tea
0:16:53 > 0:16:55that had already been brewed.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58- Second-hand tea. - Second-hand teas, yes.
0:16:58 > 0:17:03And then, coloured in Prussian blue to give them that blue-green tinge.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05So, people were drinking all sorts of things
0:17:05 > 0:17:06that they really shouldn't have been.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08I would not want to be drinking something
0:17:08 > 0:17:10- that's been steeped in sheep's dung.- No!
0:17:10 > 0:17:11I mean, you just don't know, do you?
0:17:11 > 0:17:13And all these dangerous chemicals
0:17:13 > 0:17:15that would certainly not be allowed today.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20At least eight factories in London in the 1840s
0:17:20 > 0:17:24existed for the sole purpose of drying used tea leaves
0:17:24 > 0:17:27and reselling them to fraudulent dealers.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29But one man was to change all this,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32and allow us to trust our tea.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36He was honest John Horniman,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39a Quaker tea merchant whose business integrity
0:17:39 > 0:17:42helped make him a large fortune.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46He invented a tea packaging machine and, according to Fiona Kerlogue,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49curator of the Horniman Museum, that was the game-changer.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56John Horniman was the first person to sell tea in sealed packages
0:17:56 > 0:18:00of guaranteed weight and purity.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Unlike most tea being produced at the time, Horniman's was pure,
0:18:03 > 0:18:08and he made the most of this unique selling point in his advertising.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11This is a poster from the 1850s.
0:18:11 > 0:18:12- Oh, right.- And it says,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15"Tea with the import mark of your firm is as described,
0:18:15 > 0:18:19"perfectly pure and free from all artificial colouring, and is,
0:18:19 > 0:18:23"in every respect, wholesome and most desirable for general use."
0:18:26 > 0:18:30His strategy was so successful that, by 1891,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33he was said to have the largest tea company in the world.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40Horniman's successful package branding strategy
0:18:40 > 0:18:43quickly attracted a whole host of rivals.
0:18:44 > 0:18:50And, in 1918, one of the new brands, Lyons Tea, bought Horniman's.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Eventually, the name disappeared from the UK,
0:18:52 > 0:18:56although it still remains a market leader in Spain!
0:18:56 > 0:19:00And I think it's rather a shame that honest John Horniman
0:19:00 > 0:19:04doesn't get a bit more credit for this whole phenomenon,
0:19:04 > 0:19:06for helping us enjoy a cuppa,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10safe in the knowledge that it really is nothing but pure tea.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19At the factory, I'm in the tea storage area,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22and ready for the next step on my epic tea bag journey.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29It's over three hours since my Kenyan shipment arrived.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Head blender Alan has approved my leaves
0:19:31 > 0:19:35and given me my ingredient list, so I can start making my blend.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45So far, my recipe has only be made in a sample size.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50Now we're scaling it up to 20 tonnes of tea bags
0:19:50 > 0:19:54using 320 sacks of leaves.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Each pallet holds a separate element of the blend.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05Keeping track of it all is operations manager Danny McGrail.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Here he is. How are you, mate?
0:20:07 > 0:20:08- Are you all right, mate? - You all right?
0:20:08 > 0:20:10What is that?
0:20:10 > 0:20:12That is Robbie the Robot.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15And he's our robot who picks up all our tea here on site for us.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19OK, so, we're going to start Robbie off.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22It's the green button and the black button there.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24We need to press and twist at the same time.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26So press the green button with your thumb.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28Twist the black button, hit the green one?
0:20:28 > 0:20:29No, simultaneously.
0:20:31 > 0:20:32Yeah! Ya-hey!
0:20:57 > 0:21:01My tea blend recipe uses leaves grown in seven regions
0:21:01 > 0:21:03across five different countries.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08How can he see where the bags are?
0:21:08 > 0:21:10There's a camera up on the top, so he's taken a photo of it,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13a picture of it, every one, so he knows where they are.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16But how does he know which pallets to take them from?
0:21:16 > 0:21:19So we've pre-programmed it before we've started the machine off,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22so Robbie knows now he's got to pick two bags
0:21:22 > 0:21:23off each of the 16 pallets.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26- We want nearly 20 tonnes of tea. - Correct.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Why is he only taking two bags at a time?
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Cos we blend it in two-tonne sections.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36We couldn't fit all 20 in one blending drum, you see, Gregg.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38- So we're going to get 20 tonnes... - Yeah.- ..but in ten batches of two?
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Ten batches of two tonne.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49The sacks are tipped into something
0:21:49 > 0:21:52that looks surprisingly like my tumble dryer.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56So what we're trying to do in this part is actually empty the sack.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00So it's being ripped open before it gets into there?
0:22:00 > 0:22:04Yeah, there's a giant saw in front of it that cuts the sack of tea,
0:22:04 > 0:22:06all the tea spills out through the giant tumbler,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09and then the sack's going to work its way along,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12get pushed out the side, and be compacted.
0:22:12 > 0:22:13It's almost hypnotic.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15And it's a lovely smell as well.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22My fragrant tea leaves fall onto a conveyor belt
0:22:22 > 0:22:24and are then sent back up a pipe
0:22:24 > 0:22:28before dropping down into an oversized sieve.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31This is just an enormous machine basically doing that.
0:22:31 > 0:22:32Basically, yeah.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35I love the fact that it comes down and doesn't get any further,
0:22:35 > 0:22:37and then shrinks back up.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39- Yeah.- So all the tea is falling through the holes?- Yeah.
0:22:39 > 0:22:40Everything else...
0:22:40 > 0:22:43Everything else will just vibrate all the way down to the bottom,
0:22:43 > 0:22:45and that'll go out into our waste stream.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47As well as, obviously, bits of bag,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50anything else get stuck in there?
0:22:50 > 0:22:54So there's actually little bits of metal that you can actually see
0:22:54 > 0:22:57in there that have come through in the tea as well.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59That was in the sack of tea?
0:22:59 > 0:23:01Yes, that will come through.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03All the way from Africa?
0:23:03 > 0:23:06- Yeah.- Not what you'd expect to find in your tea bag.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09You'd be SCREWED. DANNY CHUCKLES
0:23:12 > 0:23:15It will take two hours to sieve my 20 tonnes of leaves.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Next, a conveyor takes them into the blending area,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25where my seven different teas will be mixed together.
0:23:28 > 0:23:29Where does it come in?
0:23:29 > 0:23:31It's coming in above our heads there, Gregg, on a belt.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34The tea is then going to slide down and fall into our drums.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36- Goes in both sides?- Both sides.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39The drum will rotate one way when it's filling, for four minutes.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41It'll then blend it for four minutes.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45'It's like a giant food mixer, and a gently efficient way
0:23:45 > 0:23:49'to spread my different leaves evenly through the batch.'
0:23:49 > 0:23:50Once it's finished blending it,
0:23:50 > 0:23:52it's going to rotate the opposite way,
0:23:52 > 0:23:57and that empties the system, and then that sends it upstairs for us.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00I don't really understand how it's getting back upstairs.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02So on these two side stanchions there, Gregg,
0:24:02 > 0:24:04is what we call a bucket elevator,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07and in there is hundreds of stainless steel scoops.
0:24:07 > 0:24:08When the drum is emptying,
0:24:08 > 0:24:12it dispenses into each one of these stainless steel buckets
0:24:12 > 0:24:14and it starts to go up, gets itself to the top,
0:24:14 > 0:24:16and when it is at its highest point,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19it will drop vertical, drop the tea onto a belt.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Why does it go back up? That's a bad design.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23- It is a bad design.- Wouldn't it be easier to fall through the floor?
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Our factory actually wasn't designed to make tea bags originally.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29- It was actually a chocolate factory. - Is that right?- That's correct.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31You were never meant to make tea in the first place?
0:24:31 > 0:24:34We weren't meant to make tea bags, so we've had to adapt our factory,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37and to design a system that actually does it the wrong way round -
0:24:37 > 0:24:40we have to actually take ours upstairs, across,
0:24:40 > 0:24:43- and then bring it back downstairs. - Got you!
0:24:45 > 0:24:48That's the first two tonnes of my classic blend mixed.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54But back in Kenya, Cherry's finding out what gives tea its great taste
0:24:54 > 0:24:57in the first place.
0:24:57 > 0:24:58If you look at where tea comes from,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01there's nothing to indicate that it would make a good brew.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Looks a bit like a privet hedge.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07But if you scrutinise the chemistry of a tea leaf,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10it's astonishingly complex.
0:25:10 > 0:25:15Around 30% of every tea leaf is made of a group of chemicals
0:25:15 > 0:25:17called polyphenols.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20They contribute to the tea's flavour.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24Polyphenols are produced by the plant as a defence against insects.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26They really don't like the taste of them.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28But we do.
0:25:28 > 0:25:29And in the tea processing plant,
0:25:29 > 0:25:32these polyphenols can be manipulated
0:25:32 > 0:25:35to dramatically alter the appearance,
0:25:35 > 0:25:37aroma and flavour of your drinks.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Factory manager Joseph Arethee fills me in.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44So what are we making now?
0:25:44 > 0:25:46We are making green tea.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50Green tea. This looks exactly like all the other tea we've seen.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52Why is this green tea?
0:25:52 > 0:25:54It is exactly like the other tea we have seen.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57It is the same tea leaves.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00So I thought green tea, white tea and black tea
0:26:00 > 0:26:02all came from different plants.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05No, no. It is the same tea plant.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09The only difference between all of those types of tea
0:26:09 > 0:26:11is the way you process the leaf
0:26:11 > 0:26:13after you get it from the mother plant.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20For green tea, they steam the fresh leaves at 100 degrees.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24This stops the enzymes reacting with the oxygen,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28so the leaves stay green instead of turning brown
0:26:28 > 0:26:30and keep more of those tasty polyphenols.
0:26:33 > 0:26:34Is it tea time?
0:26:34 > 0:26:37- It is tea time.- Yes! - Welcome, welcome, welcome.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Taster Peter Kamanga is showing me how the different treatment
0:26:40 > 0:26:43affects the flavour. First, green tea.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46- What does that taste remind you of?- Green.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48- It tastes green. - We call that character grassy.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50- Grassy.- Grassy. It's very greenish.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Next, black tea.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56The oxidisation which changes the colour of the leaves
0:26:56 > 0:26:59also changes the make-up of the polyphenols,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02creating a deeper, maltier flavour.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07And Peter has their strongest grade for me to try.
0:27:08 > 0:27:09That's a lovely cup.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12- Is that lovely?- It's so gutty.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14- Gutty?- It just bites your cheeks.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17- OK, it's gutty and bitey.- Yeah.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19I'm going to have... I'm going to have slightly less.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26It is quite sharp, yeah?
0:27:26 > 0:27:28- Wow, that is bitey. - It is very strong tea.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31I mean, that would wake you up in the morning, wouldn't it?
0:27:31 > 0:27:32Wowzer. Woohoo!
0:27:35 > 0:27:39The third type I'm trying - white tea - isn't oxidised,
0:27:39 > 0:27:41and is the least processed of all.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46- Oh, that's amazing. - We call it floral, floral character.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48It's very floral, very delicate.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50Here we have only picked the bud.
0:27:50 > 0:27:55The bud. So white tea is just that little magic leaf.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57It feels like velvet.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59- Yes, it does.- Yeah?- Yes, yes.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05The young shoots contain the highest number of polyphenols,
0:28:05 > 0:28:07and make white tea the most expensive.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10So even though I've been drinking
0:28:10 > 0:28:12and loving all different types of tea
0:28:12 > 0:28:14for over two decades,
0:28:14 > 0:28:19I never realised that they all came from the same incredible leaf.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32The first batch of my leaves has finished mixing,
0:28:32 > 0:28:35and been scooped upstairs to the filling station...
0:28:37 > 0:28:41..where, five and a quarter hours after my Kenyan tea arrived,
0:28:41 > 0:28:43I can now pour my blend into each of these
0:28:43 > 0:28:47massive one-tonne storage bags.
0:28:47 > 0:28:48A tonne of tea is going to
0:28:48 > 0:28:50- come shooting out of there in a minute, right?- That's right.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52And if you want to press that green button,
0:28:52 > 0:28:55then the tea will start to dispense into the bag for us.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02It takes just four minutes to load a bag,
0:29:02 > 0:29:04and they fill two at a time.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09That is the biggest tea bag I have ever seen.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13- What now?- We have to take a sample of it to your mate, Alan,
0:29:13 > 0:29:15- in tea tasting.- I like him.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18A little bald bloke with glasses. Very attractive.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24Alan has to make sure the blend I've made is exactly right.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28Can I ask you - how many tea bags in this tonne of tea?
0:29:28 > 0:29:31You're looking at around 330,000 tea bags.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33Why don't we just add the milk and sugar now?
0:29:33 > 0:29:37HE CHUCKLES That is a packet of tea.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39I'm quite proud of that, you know? What do I do, take it down?
0:29:39 > 0:29:41No, we go this way and we've got a little air chute,
0:29:41 > 0:29:44we'll put it in there and we'll fire that down to him
0:29:44 > 0:29:47- and it'll end up in our tea tasting lounge.- Really?- Yeah.- Right.
0:29:47 > 0:29:48What do I do?
0:29:48 > 0:29:51So basically we need to put our sample into the container.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53Oh, my word.
0:29:54 > 0:29:55Lift.
0:29:56 > 0:29:57Place that in there.
0:29:58 > 0:29:59Seal back down.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03Red button. Press that.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05- And that will go shooting off to Alan?- Alan.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08PNEUMATIC TUBES WHOOSH
0:30:10 > 0:30:11HE EXHALES
0:30:11 > 0:30:13All this tea production is making me thirsty.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17Now, you've heard people say, "I'm dying for a cup of tea."
0:30:17 > 0:30:20Well, during World War II, people really did die for a cup of tea.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22Ruth has been investigating.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30When the Second World War was declared in 1939,
0:30:30 > 0:30:35the Government was well aware of just how important tea would be
0:30:35 > 0:30:37to the morale of the nation.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42So they took control of all the factory stocks and supplies,
0:30:42 > 0:30:43and, like the Crown Jewels,
0:30:43 > 0:30:47they moved their tea treasure out of London to protect it from bombs.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52So, when tea was rationed in 1940,
0:30:52 > 0:30:57there was about enough tea for each person to have three cups a day,
0:30:57 > 0:31:00so long as you followed the Ministry of Food advice
0:31:00 > 0:31:02that it would be no more than,
0:31:02 > 0:31:05"One spoonful per person and none for the pot."
0:31:10 > 0:31:15But the military on active service got a more generous ration.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18For them, the bigger problem was how to brew it up.
0:31:20 > 0:31:22'I've come to Bovington Tank Museum...'
0:31:22 > 0:31:24- Hello.- Hello.
0:31:24 > 0:31:26'..to meet curator, David Willey.'
0:31:26 > 0:31:28This is a Second World War British Churchill tank.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31- Do you want to have a look inside? - Yeah, go on.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33'David is showing me how difficult it was
0:31:33 > 0:31:34'to make tea on the front line.'
0:31:36 > 0:31:38That's small, isn't it?
0:31:38 > 0:31:40Yeah, pretty compact.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42How many people would be in there, then?
0:31:42 > 0:31:43You've got a crew of five.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47- Five?!- Three just in this turret, two down in the front.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49Oh, my goodness, you're packed in like sardines.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51The last thing you want to do in a space like that
0:31:51 > 0:31:53is to have a naked flame.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56You've got ammunition, you've got petrol in there,
0:31:56 > 0:31:58so you always had to come out to make cups of tea.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05Making tea outside with limited resources required some invention.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10This is what we call a Benghazi boiler,
0:32:10 > 0:32:13and it's basically just a pan full of sand,
0:32:13 > 0:32:15pour some petrol on, set it on fire,
0:32:15 > 0:32:17and you can see we've got a good blaze going.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20I can really see why you wouldn't be doing this inside a tank!
0:32:20 > 0:32:23No. And the minute any vehicle stops anywhere,
0:32:23 > 0:32:26somebody's starting that Benghazi boiler going,
0:32:26 > 0:32:28so we can get a brew on the go.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31And in the letters and the diaries, guys are actually saying,
0:32:31 > 0:32:33you know, "Our morale went up and down
0:32:33 > 0:32:36- "in proportion to the amount of tea we actually got."- Really?
0:32:36 > 0:32:38- You want to give it a go? - I'll give it a go.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40Oh, look at that. Lovely.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42All them lovely tea leaves.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48That's got a bit of a kick.
0:32:48 > 0:32:49SHE LAUGHS
0:32:49 > 0:32:51Hm.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54The British thirst for a cuppa could be a risky manoeuvre.
0:32:56 > 0:33:01On June 13th, 1944, an armoured squadron was destroyed
0:33:01 > 0:33:04outside the French town of Villers-Bocage.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06It's believed they'd stopped for a tea break.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09Incidents like these were tragically common.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13So the British came up with an invention
0:33:13 > 0:33:16that meant soldiers could brew up in safety.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26There's quite a sight coming towards you.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28Oh, yeah.
0:33:31 > 0:33:32Whoa.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37That is a threatening thing you've got there, mate.
0:33:37 > 0:33:38This is a Challenger 1 tank.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41This saw service in the 1980s.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44This tank and every tank that Britain made
0:33:44 > 0:33:47after the Second World War had one of these in it.
0:33:47 > 0:33:48It's something called a boiling vessel,
0:33:48 > 0:33:53so nowadays the crews can actually have a hot drink safe and protected.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56That's where you plug it in, this is your tap which turns round,
0:33:56 > 0:33:58that's where your water comes out.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00And in the top here, and that's where the boiling is...
0:34:00 > 0:34:03Oh, right. Oh, I see. So that's your actual vessel.
0:34:03 > 0:34:07- And that's where it's heated. - No flames, all contained,
0:34:07 > 0:34:09keep our chaps safe inside.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12And it's an amazingly popular bit of kit.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14Former tank commander Tony Stirling
0:34:14 > 0:34:18knows all about the importance of tea in tanks.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21- Tony!- Hello, Ruth.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23- Welcome aboard. - SHE LAUGHS
0:34:23 > 0:34:25Now, you've used this for real, haven't you?
0:34:25 > 0:34:28Absolutely, yeah. Used it in the first Gulf War.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31And is it still part of the British Army rations?
0:34:31 > 0:34:33Absolutely. Here I've got a modern version
0:34:33 > 0:34:36of the British Army ration pack.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39And if we open up inside, you can see...
0:34:39 > 0:34:41- Tea bags!- There they are.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43- I'll make a cup of tea, if that's OK.- Yeah!
0:34:43 > 0:34:47- OK.- Go on.- All we do is dispense the water through the tap.
0:34:47 > 0:34:49- Does the trick, doesn't it?- It does.
0:34:49 > 0:34:50It must make a huge difference,
0:34:50 > 0:34:54just having that whenever you've got a bit of waiting time.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57Letters from home and hot food and tea, Ruth.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00It's what keeps the guys going.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02- That's a good cup of tea. - It's a good cup of Rosie Lee.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08The British military gets through
0:35:08 > 0:35:11around 216 million cups of tea a year.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15And thanks to the boiling vessel,
0:35:15 > 0:35:17brewing up on the job is now a whole lot safer.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23PNEUMATIC TUBES WHOOSH
0:35:30 > 0:35:33'At the factory, my precious blended tea sample
0:35:33 > 0:35:36'easily beats me to the tasting room.'
0:35:36 > 0:35:39- I was trying to get here before the samples.- No, I'm afraid not.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43'Now it's up to head blender Alan to decide if my mixture
0:35:43 > 0:35:46'from seven plantations matches their standard blend,
0:35:46 > 0:35:50'and if it's good enough to turn into tea bags.'
0:35:50 > 0:35:51So we've got the standard,
0:35:51 > 0:35:54and then we've got the blend which you've just done now.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57You need to make sure it's exactly the same.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59Exactly the same. The proof will be in the pudding,
0:35:59 > 0:36:00so we'll taste this,
0:36:00 > 0:36:03and then let's see if you can notice any differences.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05You're not going to start slurping and spitting
0:36:05 > 0:36:06all over the place again, are you?
0:36:06 > 0:36:08- That's exactly what we're going to do.- Oh...
0:36:10 > 0:36:13- That's the standard, right? - It is, yes.
0:36:13 > 0:36:14HE SLURPS
0:36:16 > 0:36:19And then we've got the blend which you've just done now.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28And the difference is...?
0:36:28 > 0:36:30Mate, nobody...
0:36:30 > 0:36:32Nobody would notice the difference.
0:36:32 > 0:36:34- Well, there isn't a difference, is there?- No, there isn't.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36- We're posher in my house. Do you know why?- Why?
0:36:36 > 0:36:37We've got handles.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39ALAN CHUCKLES
0:36:39 > 0:36:41- Cheers, mate.- Yeah, Cheers.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43Pleasure.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48- You drank it.- Yeah, absolutely.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51You drank it! You didn't spit it out.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54- Mate, thank you very much. - Yeah, you're welcome.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59With Alan's gold slurp of approval,
0:36:59 > 0:37:025½ hours after my leaf delivery,
0:37:02 > 0:37:07I can now turn my 20 tonnes of tea into tea bags.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09In the blended tea storage area,
0:37:09 > 0:37:13operations manager Danny is waiting to hear my results.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16- All right.- Hello, mate. - We're in business.- OK.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18So what do we do with it now?
0:37:18 > 0:37:20So basically what we need to do
0:37:20 > 0:37:22is now we need to get it to our tea bag-making machines.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25So what I need you to do, Gregg, is I want you to untie that.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27The tea will then flow through the neck
0:37:27 > 0:37:30- and start to flow through the system.- I feel a bit nervous.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32That's a tonne of tea above my head.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34- Correct.- There she goes.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36Nice.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38That's ridiculously comforting. DANNY LAUGHS
0:37:39 > 0:37:41That'd send you off to sleep.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44The leaves are being sucked by a powerful vacuum
0:37:44 > 0:37:47through a complex system of pipes,
0:37:47 > 0:37:50350 metres, to the room below.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54- It's going to take an hour to unload?- That's right.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56We don't have to stand here and watch it, do we?
0:37:56 > 0:37:59- No, we don't.- All right. - Come on.- Do you fancy a cup of...?
0:37:59 > 0:38:00A cup of Rosie?
0:38:00 > 0:38:02I was going to say coffee, to be honest...
0:38:02 > 0:38:04I have my builder's blend,
0:38:04 > 0:38:06but of course there's another crucial element
0:38:06 > 0:38:08I need for my tea bags -
0:38:08 > 0:38:10paper!
0:38:11 > 0:38:13Cherry's been to find out how it's made.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17The quiet beauty of the Scottish Borders
0:38:17 > 0:38:22might not be the first place you'd associate with tea bags.
0:38:22 > 0:38:23But you'd be wrong,
0:38:23 > 0:38:26because this factory, astonishingly,
0:38:26 > 0:38:32produces one in ten of the world's tea bags.
0:38:32 > 0:38:38There's been a paper mill here in Chirnside for 175 years.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41But the first thing I can see are stacks of something
0:38:41 > 0:38:43more like felt fabric.
0:38:43 > 0:38:44- Hi, Stuart.- Hiya.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46- Lovely to meet you. - Pleased to meet you. Pleasure.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49Plant manager Stuart Nixon explains what this is.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52The most important material is the abaca, or Manila hemp.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55- This is what my tea bag is made of? - It is indeed, yeah.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57What looks like the inside of my mattress.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59- A little bit like that, yeah. - But this is in fact hemp.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02- What is hemp? - Hemp is a natural fibre,
0:39:02 > 0:39:05and it's related to the banana plant.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07It doesn't produce banana fruit.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12This abaca hemp is imported from the Philippines,
0:39:12 > 0:39:16where it's been grown for centuries to provide fibre for rope,
0:39:16 > 0:39:18and, more recently, paper.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23Why do you use this material? Why is it good for tea bags?
0:39:23 > 0:39:26The key thing about this is that the fibre length is very, very long.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28When we form it into a sheet of paper,
0:39:28 > 0:39:31we can form a very lightweight sheet that's very strong,
0:39:31 > 0:39:33but also very porous.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35And if you think about the purpose of a tea bag,
0:39:35 > 0:39:38you want to keep the tea inside the tea bag,
0:39:38 > 0:39:40but you want to let the tea infuse into the cup.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43And the abaca is the key material to allow that to happen.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47I had no idea that a tea bag was so constructed.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49It's an engineered product, yes.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54'The abaca is loaded up onto a conveyor belt,
0:39:54 > 0:39:57'that takes it along into a giant mixer...'
0:39:57 > 0:39:58Whoa! Wow.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02'..where it's broken down with water,
0:40:02 > 0:40:04'which turns it into a sludge.'
0:40:04 > 0:40:08It looks like a giant vat of porridge.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11- It does, yes. - It looks weirdly delicious.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13Why are you blending it all together?
0:40:13 > 0:40:16You can see that the fibres are all stuck together, matted together.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19You want to make those fibres individual.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21You're mixing it with water to separate it
0:40:21 > 0:40:23so that they can be laid flat?
0:40:23 > 0:40:25- Yes.- It is an odd process,
0:40:25 > 0:40:29because you have this flat sheet and you mash it up with water
0:40:29 > 0:40:33so you can then make it into another flat sheet.
0:40:33 > 0:40:34But much thinner.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41The next ingredient is a specialist plastic.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44This is the heat seal fibre that we use,
0:40:44 > 0:40:47so that the tea bag producer can seal the tea bag together,
0:40:47 > 0:40:49so that the tea stays inside the tea bag.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51This is almost like cotton wool,
0:40:51 > 0:40:53- but it's in fact a plastic. - Plastic, yep.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57How much of my tea bag is made up of this plastic substance?
0:40:57 > 0:40:59About 25%, a quarter.
0:40:59 > 0:41:00About a quarter.
0:41:00 > 0:41:04This plastic is mixed in with the abaca hemp.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08And there's one more element to a tea bag - wood pulp,
0:41:08 > 0:41:11which forms an outer insulating layer,
0:41:11 > 0:41:14to prevent the paper dissolving in your mug.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18Wood pulp sheets are broken down by thousands of litres of water.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22The whole process relies on water heavily,
0:41:22 > 0:41:24and water is used as the medium,
0:41:24 > 0:41:27the fluid that pumps the fibre around the plant.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30'The wood pulp and the abaca plastic mix...'
0:41:30 > 0:41:32There it goes.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35'..are piped separately into the 40-metre-long
0:41:35 > 0:41:37'giant papermaking machine.'
0:41:45 > 0:41:50First, the abaca and plastic mix is poured onto a mesh conveyor belt.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53The water drains off, leaving the fibres behind.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58The wood pulp is poured on top and its excess water
0:41:58 > 0:42:02drains through the bottom layer, sealing them together.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08After drying at 100 degrees,
0:42:08 > 0:42:11the two layers are stretched into a single sheet,
0:42:11 > 0:42:14just a tenth of a millimetre thick.
0:42:18 > 0:42:23The 2.2-metre-wide sheet of paper whizzes out of the machine
0:42:23 > 0:42:26at up to 300 metres a minute.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28Then it's wound onto a roll,
0:42:28 > 0:42:31which is quite rightly called a jumbo.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34Woohoo!
0:42:34 > 0:42:37It's a gigantic loo roll!
0:42:37 > 0:42:40- It's big.- That is enormous.
0:42:40 > 0:42:44So that's the finished paper, that is tea bag paper.
0:42:44 > 0:42:45That is tea bag paper.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47How many metres will that be when it's finished?
0:42:47 > 0:42:52By the time it's finished it'll be about 60km, 60,000 metres.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55And how many of those do you make a day?
0:42:55 > 0:42:56Six or eight.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00Surely we cannot drink that much tea?
0:43:00 > 0:43:03Each finished one of these is about 15 million tea bags.
0:43:05 > 0:43:10- It's a big piece of paper. - It's a big roll of paper.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12The three-tonne jumbo roll
0:43:12 > 0:43:16is sliced into hundreds of more manageable sizes,
0:43:16 > 0:43:19and then loaded up, ready for our tea factory.
0:43:19 > 0:43:25Inside this lorry is enough paper for nearly 50 million tea bags.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28That should keep Gregg busy for a while.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41I need about 118km of paper for my bags.
0:43:43 > 0:43:46And it's already arrived at one of the production lines.
0:43:47 > 0:43:49My tea leaves were delivered six hours ago.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52Now, at last, I'm about to turn them into tea bags.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57Engineer Bob Jones is standing by.
0:43:57 > 0:43:58Right, there's Cherry's paper.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01- Yes.- So my tea, my blend, is going down from there?
0:44:01 > 0:44:03- Yes.- How do we make that into a tea bag?
0:44:03 > 0:44:07- Show me.- Right, Cherry's reel comes around.
0:44:07 > 0:44:12If you look down there, Gregg, that slitter knife then cuts it in half.
0:44:12 > 0:44:14One half runs up and over the top,
0:44:14 > 0:44:16the other half comes down the bottom.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20As it comes through there, it gets a dose of tea on it.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24What size or weight is going into each tea bag?
0:44:24 > 0:44:27Each little dose of tea is about 3g.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30One side of the paper has a wood pulp on,
0:44:30 > 0:44:32and one side has a plastic laminate,
0:44:32 > 0:44:35so that when we split it and turn one over,
0:44:35 > 0:44:37we're sandwiching the tea between the two papers.
0:44:38 > 0:44:42The two papers come together, are compressed with heat,
0:44:42 > 0:44:46that heats the plastic laminate and seals them together.
0:44:46 > 0:44:50If the heat is making it sticky and that's sticking it together,
0:44:50 > 0:44:53why doesn't it come unstuck when I pour boiling water on it?
0:44:53 > 0:44:56The plastic is heated at a greater temperature than your boiling water
0:44:56 > 0:44:58when it sticks together.
0:44:59 > 0:45:03'The plastic will only melt at 160 Celsius.'
0:45:04 > 0:45:07This thing is going really fast.
0:45:07 > 0:45:08Is there any way of slowing it down?
0:45:08 > 0:45:09Yes, of course.
0:45:15 > 0:45:16That's like making ravioli.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20Yeah, little small pockets with something nice in the middle.
0:45:20 > 0:45:21Should we get it going again?
0:45:21 > 0:45:25If we don't restart the machine, the nation might run out of tea.
0:45:25 > 0:45:26What a catastrophe.
0:45:31 > 0:45:36This machine stamps out 1,500 tea bags a minute, 24 hours a day,
0:45:36 > 0:45:38five days a week.
0:45:40 > 0:45:44The excess paper is blown through this slinky and out to recycling...
0:45:46 > 0:45:49..while my stacks of bags go into the foiling machine,
0:45:49 > 0:45:51and come out in sachets of 40.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55You've turned them into astronauts.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58- There we go.- Sealed in a space blanket. All right.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04It's all well and good the guys here working hard to produce
0:46:04 > 0:46:07the perfect tea bag, with the perfect blend of leaves inside,
0:46:07 > 0:46:10but how do you brew the perfect cup of tea?
0:46:10 > 0:46:12Cherry has been getting the scientific lowdown.
0:46:18 > 0:46:21I've always been told that there is a proper way to make a cup of tea,
0:46:21 > 0:46:22and it looks like this -
0:46:22 > 0:46:25loose-leaf tea, a porcelain teapot,
0:46:25 > 0:46:28a tea strainer and some patience.
0:46:28 > 0:46:33But 96% of us make a brew using a tea bag.
0:46:33 > 0:46:37So what are the golden rules when making a cuppa
0:46:37 > 0:46:39using a mug and a bag?
0:46:44 > 0:46:46An expert in the science of tea making,
0:46:46 > 0:46:50Dr Stuart Farrimond has three top tips.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54We're starting with the takeaway tea we're all familiar with,
0:46:54 > 0:46:56brewed in a Styrofoam cup.
0:46:58 > 0:46:59Cherry, good to see you.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01Nice to see you, Doctor Stu.
0:47:01 > 0:47:04First off, I want you to make a cup of tea with a tea bag,
0:47:04 > 0:47:06- as you would do normally.- OK.
0:47:07 > 0:47:09Boil some water.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11Tea bag in.
0:47:13 > 0:47:15La, la, la, la.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17That looks good to me.
0:47:17 > 0:47:19Leaves a lot to be desired, Cherry.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21How could you say that?!
0:47:21 > 0:47:24What is wrong with this cup of tea?
0:47:24 > 0:47:26You're using a Styrofoam cup,
0:47:26 > 0:47:30which is a particularly bad way of making tea.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35Styrofoam absorbs flavour molecules,
0:47:35 > 0:47:37reducing the tastiness of the tea.
0:47:38 > 0:47:43So Stu's first tip is choose what you drink from wisely.
0:47:44 > 0:47:47There's a lot of psychology behind when we taste things.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49So here we have a nice red mug.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53I love that colour. That's actually the same colour as my mug at home.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56The same drink out of a red mug
0:47:56 > 0:47:58will taste sweeter than one out of a white mug.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02So our brain is a huge factor in how we taste?
0:48:02 > 0:48:03Huge.
0:48:05 > 0:48:09Research shows that we associate certain colours with certain tastes.
0:48:09 > 0:48:12Red suggest ripeness and sweetness.
0:48:14 > 0:48:16What else don't you like about my cup of tea?
0:48:16 > 0:48:18The type of water that you're using.
0:48:18 > 0:48:20That is hard water.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24What happens when you use hard water to make a cup of tea,
0:48:24 > 0:48:27- you sometimes get that scum on the top.- Like this.
0:48:27 > 0:48:30You've got the scum. Lovely.
0:48:30 > 0:48:34So what's happening is some of the flavour compounds are reacting
0:48:34 > 0:48:37with the calcium, and then they form this scummy layer.
0:48:37 > 0:48:39So you're actually losing flavour.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41What you're seeing on the top there is actually some of flavour
0:48:41 > 0:48:43that's being lost in that scum.
0:48:44 > 0:48:49Tip two - if you have hard water, filter it before boiling.
0:48:49 > 0:48:53This removes some of the calcium and magnesium residues,
0:48:53 > 0:48:56and you'll get a tastier, clearer cup.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59Now I've got my cup and water right,
0:48:59 > 0:49:04Stu is ready with his most important top tea bag tip.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07I would like you now to make yourself a cup of tea,
0:49:07 > 0:49:09but we're going to leave it longer, five minutes.
0:49:09 > 0:49:12Five minutes! That's a long time.
0:49:12 > 0:49:16The amount of time we steep our tea bag for does make a difference.
0:49:16 > 0:49:19Surely the tea will be ruined.
0:49:19 > 0:49:20Try it and see what you think.
0:49:20 > 0:49:22OK.
0:49:22 > 0:49:23Tea bag in.
0:49:25 > 0:49:26Here we go.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35I mean, I would never have the patience to brew my tea this long.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38It is a long time, but it's going to be too hot to drink anyway,
0:49:38 > 0:49:39so you've got to leave it.
0:49:42 > 0:49:43Just more of the flavour coming out,
0:49:43 > 0:49:47and also more caffeine comes out, so the stronger the tea will be.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50There's also more of the antioxidants coming out.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52Tea is a great source of antioxidants,
0:49:52 > 0:49:54and these are natural substances
0:49:54 > 0:49:57that our body uses to help fight disease.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00So it is important that you leave it to brew.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04Three, two, one.
0:50:04 > 0:50:05Quick, get it out.
0:50:07 > 0:50:09- There you go.- OK. Right.
0:50:11 > 0:50:15Doctor Stu can show me the difference a five-minute brew makes
0:50:15 > 0:50:19to levels of caffeine and antioxidants in tea.
0:50:21 > 0:50:25A UV spectrometer measures the light the caffeine absorbs,
0:50:25 > 0:50:28revealing its concentration.
0:50:28 > 0:50:29So we've analysed that data
0:50:29 > 0:50:33and we've found the amount of caffeine in the two cups of tea.
0:50:33 > 0:50:35So, in your cuppa, just 30 seconds,
0:50:35 > 0:50:38there was 35mg of caffeine in that cup.
0:50:38 > 0:50:42Whereas in mine, we're coming up to 50mg of caffeine.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44So if you're a bit more patient, you get more bang for your buck.
0:50:44 > 0:50:46You do indeed.
0:50:46 > 0:50:50And it's not only caffeine that increases with that longer brew -
0:50:50 > 0:50:53antioxidant levels more than double.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55Leaving it for extra period of time,
0:50:55 > 0:50:59you're getting a lot more of the health benefits that are in the tea.
0:50:59 > 0:51:04But does any of this actually make any difference to taste?
0:51:07 > 0:51:09You tell me if you think it was worth it.
0:51:17 > 0:51:22This actually has flavour and tastes...
0:51:23 > 0:51:29..delicious. And that makes this taste like hot water.
0:51:29 > 0:51:35So, the mug, the water, the colour, the flavour,
0:51:35 > 0:51:38it is, without doubt...
0:51:39 > 0:51:40..the perfect cup of tea.
0:51:51 > 0:51:57My tea bags are heading to packaging, all 6.9 million of them.
0:51:59 > 0:52:00But before they can be boxed up,
0:52:00 > 0:52:03they go through a safety check with Karen Williams.
0:52:05 > 0:52:07- Karen.- Yes.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09What happens at this bit?
0:52:09 > 0:52:11Right. This is where we do our metal check
0:52:11 > 0:52:15to make sure there's no metal in the tea. And we do this every hour.
0:52:15 > 0:52:16How does it work?
0:52:16 > 0:52:20This is our metal detector, and we put the three checks through.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23They have metal inside each one.
0:52:23 > 0:52:25The machine is always checking the tea bags?
0:52:25 > 0:52:26- Yes.- I get you.
0:52:26 > 0:52:30- You just put it through to make sure the machine's still working.- Yes.
0:52:30 > 0:52:31Since you've been here,
0:52:31 > 0:52:33have you ever found any bits of metal in the tea?
0:52:33 > 0:52:36- Not really.- How long have you been doing it?
0:52:36 > 0:52:38- 29 years.- Well, if you've never seen any metal,
0:52:38 > 0:52:41and you've been doing it for nearly 30 years, what's the point?
0:52:41 > 0:52:42- It's safety.- It's a waste of time.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45- It's not a waste of time.- I think they should make you redundant.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47It's not a waste of time.
0:52:47 > 0:52:48- Is it not?- No, it's not.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50- Right, OK.- Would you like me to do a check?
0:52:50 > 0:52:53- Yeah.- Are we ready?- Yeah.
0:52:58 > 0:53:02All right, no metal of any sort in my tea bags.
0:53:02 > 0:53:03None at all.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07I'm really pleased, cos I have a reputation for quality.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09- Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:53:13 > 0:53:18Now I need to get 240 of my tea bags into every carton,
0:53:18 > 0:53:21and each sachet contains 40.
0:53:22 > 0:53:26Luckily, this machine is calculating it all so I don't have to.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30And my engineer friend Bob is helping keep count.
0:53:30 > 0:53:36If you look down there, Gregg, the sachets are firing in one at a time.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39It puts two in the pocket, then releases the pocket.
0:53:39 > 0:53:43- That little black container you call a pocket?- Pocket, yep.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46The machine has to do 240 tea bags in one box.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49So there's two sachets in each pocket,
0:53:49 > 0:53:53so we need three pockets to go past to make the count right.
0:53:53 > 0:53:54Now what happens?
0:53:54 > 0:53:56Follow it down the line.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59The conveyor takes each six-pack of sachets
0:53:59 > 0:54:01to meet their cartons.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04So, those suckers, they're taking the box.
0:54:04 > 0:54:06What I love is this -
0:54:06 > 0:54:09this bit of machinery that basically opens the box up.
0:54:09 > 0:54:10Opens and closes them.
0:54:11 > 0:54:13I like that little fella, that's spinning around,
0:54:13 > 0:54:15- and his job is to close the flaps.- Yep.
0:54:16 > 0:54:17That's his only job.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20But he seems to be doing it with a great deal of enthusiasm.
0:54:24 > 0:54:30The machine is filling 25 cartons a minute, that's 6,000 bags.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34So, after just an hour,
0:54:34 > 0:54:37all my 6.9 million tea bags are boxed up
0:54:37 > 0:54:39and look ready for the shelf.
0:54:41 > 0:54:44- We're almost there, aren't we? - Almost at the end of the line.
0:54:44 > 0:54:47Now we're going to see the cartons go into the outer.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50These outers are thick enough to protect the cartons,
0:54:50 > 0:54:53whether they're travelling by road, sea or air.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56Right, there we go.
0:54:56 > 0:54:57Pack of eight.
0:54:57 > 0:55:01Folds them, glues them and sends them on their way.
0:55:01 > 0:55:03Fabulous.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05I feel a bit sad to say goodbye to my tea bags.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12Now it's up to Robbie the Robot's little brother
0:55:12 > 0:55:16to distribute my boxes neatly onto 52 pallets.
0:55:24 > 0:55:28So it stacks this in the set pattern...
0:55:28 > 0:55:30- Yep.- ..every time?
0:55:30 > 0:55:33They look like they're alive, don't they? They really do.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35Do they look like a dinosaur to you?
0:55:35 > 0:55:37- Well...- What does it look like to you?
0:55:37 > 0:55:39Like a big giraffe with a very long neck.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41GREGG LAUGHS
0:55:42 > 0:55:46My tea blend and I have finally made it to dispatch.
0:55:48 > 0:55:526½ hours ago, I saw my black tea leaves arrive from Kenya.
0:55:55 > 0:56:00Now, after being transformed into 20 tonnes of blended tea bags,
0:56:00 > 0:56:02they're being loaded back onto lorries.
0:56:06 > 0:56:10Helping send them off is operations manager Danny.
0:56:10 > 0:56:12Ah!
0:56:12 > 0:56:13Now, I've never seen one of them.
0:56:13 > 0:56:18That appears to be a double-decker lorry.
0:56:18 > 0:56:19Did you have that made?
0:56:19 > 0:56:21Yeah, the company made it specifically for us.
0:56:21 > 0:56:22I've never seen anything like that.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25I suppose you could do that cos the tea is relatively light.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28- That's correct, yeah. - How many boxes on there?
0:56:28 > 0:56:29So there's 2,800, Gregg.
0:56:29 > 0:56:31How many tea bags is that, do you know?
0:56:31 > 0:56:34Roughly, I'd say just over 5 million tea bags in there, Gregg.
0:56:34 > 0:56:35Over 5 million.
0:56:36 > 0:56:39- Do you hold them in storage here? - No, we don't store anything on site.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42So as soon as they're made, they're loaded up onto the truck?
0:56:42 > 0:56:44Loaded up on the truck and they leave site.
0:56:44 > 0:56:46All for the UK market?
0:56:46 > 0:56:47Majority is the UK market, Gregg,
0:56:47 > 0:56:50but we do to another 30 countries worldwide.
0:56:50 > 0:56:53I think we'd best move and let the lads get this loaded.
0:56:53 > 0:56:5430 countries around the world.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57- We should go on a tour.- Definitely.
0:56:57 > 0:56:59Gregg and Danny's TT tour.
0:57:01 > 0:57:04As well as landing on the shelves of shops all over Britain,
0:57:04 > 0:57:10some of my 6.9 million tea bags will head off right around the world.
0:57:12 > 0:57:17The keenest customers are in Canada, the US, Ireland and Japan.
0:57:21 > 0:57:23There it is, my batch of tea bags.
0:57:23 > 0:57:27You know, this is a big factory and it handles a lot of volume,
0:57:27 > 0:57:31and that's impressive. But I've seen a fair few big factories now,
0:57:31 > 0:57:33and what really impresses me, in fact, amazes me,
0:57:33 > 0:57:37is I thought tea bags just had one type of tea in them, but they don't.
0:57:37 > 0:57:40They bring in tea from all over the world and they have to make
0:57:40 > 0:57:43a different recipe and blend them together
0:57:43 > 0:57:45every time they make a batch of tea bags,
0:57:45 > 0:57:50so that our cup of tea taste exactly the same time and time again.
0:57:50 > 0:57:52Now, that is impressive!
0:58:00 > 0:58:02'Next time, we head overseas to Italy...'
0:58:02 > 0:58:05Tutti spaghetti! It's a waterfall!
0:58:05 > 0:58:07'..and the largest pasta factory in the world...'
0:58:07 > 0:58:09Six tonnes every hour?
0:58:09 > 0:58:11100 worms coming down.
0:58:11 > 0:58:15'..revealing the secrets to making 300,000 tonnes a day.'
0:58:15 > 0:58:19Every single one of these wheels is one more pasta shape?
0:58:19 > 0:58:22'And Cherry makes a super-sized batch of sauce to go with it.'
0:58:22 > 0:58:26It's like a really odd video game.
0:58:26 > 0:58:28That is fantastic and funny.
0:58:35 > 0:58:36HE SLURPS