Tea Picking   Depending on the desired quality and expectation of the end product, tea is either plucked by machines or by hand. In some instances, the geographical conditions, e.g. on hillsides, only permit picking by hand. On average, plants can be plucked every 7-10 days, depending on climate and location. The greater the altitude, the slower the growth. About 4 – 4.5 kg of green leaves have to be plucked in order to produce 1 kg of finished tea. Machine plucking The top 2-4 leaves including stems and stalks are plucked. The yield is high, and the harvest requires little manpower. Hand picking Without any doubt, this job is one of the most time-consuming within the entire tea production. It is the declared aim of picking to pluck just the top two leaves and a bud. A picker is expected to pluck around 23 kg of green leaves – a good picker can achieve up to 110 – 115 kg per day.