Dear friends ,
I received a very intriguing question from one of the tea lovers who regularly reads the blogs that I do post . Infact he helped me to think in a much broader aspect of the industry , which might be a real time revolutionary lep down the lane 10 years from now . Iam trying my best with the skill set I have, to clarify the present developments in our industry .
AI & TEA INDUSTRY
In my country INDIA, tea leaves are hand picked by women , that’s the craftsmanship passed down by the generations. Skillful hands of women have the expertise in plucking the leaves .In JAPAN, ARGENTINA, GEORGIA, some parts of KENYA & MALAWI it is mechanised. Well the reason is the labour is either too expensive or scarce but the terrain allows it .
Now here comesthe question how AI can interface in this PLUCKING ARENA ?
- Drones with AI VISION can be used to analyse the health & maturity of the plant.They can scan the field & also assist in precision plucking. But all these involves a cost that’s not always feasible in developing countries.
- Prototype robots equipped with AI are already developed in CHINA, JAPAN , where they can identify the tender tea shoots & pluck them selectively .
- Traditional mechanical harvesters enhanced with AI can differentiate between mature & immature leaves .
REAL WORLD EXAMPLES:
TEA BOT (UK) :The world first solar powered driverless robotic tea harvester . The blades snip 2 leaves & a bud with millimeter level accuracy. The machine performs the work of 112 human pluckers, covering 26 miles of bushes in only 6 days. This is used by TREGOTHNAN, ENGLANDS only tea plantation. Indeed a revolutionary leap in tea harvesting.
XUNXIAO (CHINA) : Wheeled humanoid robot that can detect & select fresh tea buds , can map complex terrain & maintain error under 0.5 cm. But the most interesting part it can perform warehouse sorting, & work in unstructured enviornment . Presently these robots are working alongside human pluckers .
CLOSING STATEMENT
For high grade tea , like white tea, oolong tea specialty lies in the tender hands of millions of women , who adapt the plucking skills at a very tender age. For example OOLONG TEA an exquisite one needs to be hand rolled . White tea silver needle ,only buds are picked up before the sun rise by the plucker. The best teas of the world feature a uniform leaf shape , careful processing, & nuanced flavour which gives a sensory experience .From my perspective AI can help technically in the evaluation but for traditional orthodox tea ,hand picking till date is the most exquisite form that we all have honoured down the ages .
Friends euphoric days ahead with a perfectly brewed cup of tea steeped to perfection.
Thanks
Shipra
Passionate tea lover
Dtd 13 july 2025
