Studies on the use of shade in tea plantations in Kenya: Effects on chemical composition and quality of made tea

Tea was processed from leaves grown on un‐shaded, artificially shaded and Grevillea robusta Cunningh shaded plots at four different levels of nitrogen application (0 to 270 kg ha −1 year −1 ). Tea grown under artificial shade produced black tea with higher theaflavin and reduced thearubigin concentrations and with a better flavour index and tasters' evaluation than did tea grown without shade. The heavier (artificial) shading gave teas better than those derived from G robusta shaded teas. No statistically significant effects on the caffeine contents were observed. The data presented suggest that the removal of shade from tea gardens leads to a loss in quality. The need for a more complete economic evaluation is discussed.