The Matcha ball mill is designed for post-drying grinding of agricultural products (e.g., ground tea, Chinese medicinal materials) with advantages of low-temperature grinding (15-25℃) to retain raw material color and aroma, fine fineness (500-1000 meshes), PLC-controlled easy operation, and durable structure.
This smart electric stone mill seamlessly combines traditional low-temperature grinding with modern automated features to effortlessly produce ultra-fine, premium commercial matcha.
The DL-6CRT-40 Tea Rolling Machine is engineered for efficient and high-quality tea processing, with a generous capacity of 11 kg per batch.
The DL-6CYL-800 automatic tea cake pressing machine is applicable for pressing ball type tea, round tea cakes and square tea cakes. Its production capacity is 800-1000 pieces per hour. The sizes of tea cakes that this machine can produce are as follows: square tea cakes (25-40 mm), round tea cakes (25-45 mm), and ball type tea (27-35 mm).
Oolong Tea Rolling Machine specializes in tea rolling and shaping. With precise pressure control, it releases tea juice, enhances aroma, ensures stable quality, and suits green tea, oolong tea, etc.—a top choice for tea enterprises.
DL-CRQ-20Z CTC black tea HRS Gyrovane rotorvane machine mainly used for processing CTC black tea.
The Multi-Function Ride On Type Tea Harvester is a high-performance tool for commercial tea gardens. Featuring ride-on operation, adjustable picking parameters, and integrated collection/sorting, it replaces manual picking to save labor significantly. With 5-10x higher efficiency (0.3-0.8 ha/h) and precision plucking that preserves tea quality, it’s ideal for modern large-scale tea production.
DL-6CHL-CY30 belt type tea dryer use diesel heating, also can use gas heating, drying area 20m2, capacity 105kg per hour, click the photo to learn more details about our drying machine.
Discover the complete 12-step automated tencha processing line. Learn how Quanzhou Deli Agroforestrial Machinery engineers premium equipment for steaming, baking, and stem separation to produce top-tier matcha raw materials.
Discover the DQM-150 Continuous Tea Ball Mill. Achieve up to 2500 mesh superfine tea powder with non-stop operation, water-cooling technology, and a 15-30kg/h output.
Tea processing equipment, tea processing machinery, automated tea machinery, China International Tea Expo, tea roasting machine, tea factory automation, Hangzhou tea expo 2026.
Matcha quality depends heavily on ultrafine grinding technology. Grinding balls are the core medium of matcha ball mills, directly affecting powder fineness, color, taste and food safety. This article compares four mainstream grinding media including zirconia beads, alumina ceramic balls, stainless steel balls and polyurethane balls, analyzes their differences in grinding efficiency, wear resistance, impurity pollution and applicable scenarios, providing professional selection suggestions for high-quality matcha production.
While the global demand for premium matcha continues to surge, the secret to its vibrant color and rich umami flavor actually lies in its precursor: Tencha.
Tencha is a primary processed steamed green tea that serves as the raw material for matcha. Unlike sencha, which is rolled to prioritize shape and glossiness, tencha production requires the precise separation of stems and leaves. The focus is entirely on preserving maximum color and developing a deep aroma. Because the processing flow is highly complex, it relies on a complete set of automated production lines to ensure consistency and quality.
Here is an inside look at the complete tencha manufacturing process, engineered by the experts at Quanzhou Deli Agroforestrial Machinery Co., Ltd.
Before the leaves even reach the factory, quality control begins in the field. Shading the tea plants is the most critical first step in tencha production. Using shade nets that block out 90% of the sunlight achieves three vital things: it prevents excessive tea polyphenols from forming (reducing bitterness), encourages amino acid buildup for a sweeter taste, and heavily boosts chlorophyll production to give the leaves that signature emerald green color.
Once the fresh leaves arrive at the facility, they must be prepped rapidly to prevent oxidation.
Fresh Leaf Storage: Handling several tons of leaves at once requires a temporary storage machine equipped with a powerful fan that blows cold air to keep the leaves cool and prevent spoilage. It then feeds the leaves into the next stage at a controlled rate.
Cutting: Tencha is often machine-picked, leading to long leaves (sometimes over 30cm in summer) that can jam downstream equipment. The fresh leaf cutter standardizes the size.
Sifting & Dehydrating: A rotary sifter removes small stones, dirt, and broken pieces picked up during transport. If the leaves are wet from rain or dew, a fresh leaf dehydrator removes surface moisture to protect the tea's quality during the steaming process.
This is the key to locking in the vibrant green color of both tencha and matcha. Standard steam (around 100°C) is too cool; it creates condensation that turns leaves yellow.
Instead, a specialized Ultra-High Temperature Steaming Machine utilizes "superheated steam" reaching 350-500°C. By blasting the leaves with this intense heat, the steaming process is completed in a mere 10-20 seconds, perfectly preserving the color. Immediately after, a High-Airflow Cooling Machine scatters the moisture-heavy leaves and rapidly drops their temperature to maintain that emerald hue.
The Tencha Baking Furnace is the largest and arguably most important machine on the line. It uses infrared heat radiation and high-temperature hot air convection across multiple temperature zones.
This is where the magic happens: the amino acids and sugars in the tea undergo the "Maillard reaction," creating a unique flavor profile featuring seaweed or roasted notes, known in the industry as "furnace aroma".
Initial Stage: High heat (150-200°C) triggers the Maillard reaction.
Middle Stage: Moderate heat (100°C) dries the leaves evenly.
Final Stage: Low heat (80°C) dries the leaves while allowing the stems to retain some moisture, a crucial trick for the next step.
If stems and fibers make it into the matcha grinder, the resulting powder will be coarse, yellowish, and low quality.
Because the baking furnace leaves the leaf blades brittle but the stems slightly moist, running them through a rotating drum allows the leaves to break apart and sift out while the stems remain intact. After this initial separation, the two components are dried separately. The leaves require only room-temperature air, while the stems need medium-to-high heat to remove residual moisture. Finally, a second separation process is performed to recover any remaining tencha leaves that were stuck to the stems, maximizing yield.
The finished tencha is now ready to be packed in waterproof, moisture-proof bags and kept in cold storage (0-5°C) away from light until it is ready to be milled into premium matcha powder.
A fully automated line like this can process over 300 kg of fresh leaves per hour, yielding roughly 37 kg of final tencha. Because no two factories are exactly alike, these automated lines do not have fixed parameters; they are customized based on the facility's CAD drawings to ensure maximum operational efficiency.
