The system used for cutting the tea plants is called the 'plucking table'. It involves pruning the plants to about waist height, with flat tops (like tables), so that the leaves are easy to reach when they're ready to harvest.
Different places in the world have different seasons for plucking tea, when the tea leaves are at their finest and most flavoursome. These harvests are known as 'flushes'.
Teas which are picked during different flushes have distinct flavours and varying values at auction. For example, 'first flush' Darjeeling is known to be the most flavoursome (and therefore the most valuable), while 'second flush' Assam is known for being smooth and slightly malty.
And if you think plucking tea leaves is simple, think again. Tea pluckers have to know exactly when the leaves are ready, so that they only pick them when they're tender and full of flavour. And with 3,000−4,000kg of tea leaves needed to make just 1kg of unprocessed tea, the pluckers have a big job on their hands.