TEAS CTC Tea Grades – Official Standardization of Indian Teas

Let’s Learn Today what are CTC Tea Grades how Indian tea Association Standardizes these tea grades for Indian Origin.

BLACK TEA

The most popular class of tea outside of Asia is the most popular tea in the world. This incredible leaf is known as Black Tea. The Chinese in their early colour-based system of identifying tea by the colour of its brewed liquor identified his as Red Tea.

Black Tea is not fermented, it is oxidized. Complete oxidation creates this truly remarkable class of tea. In the production of black tea, the critical component necessary to effect an even and complete oxidation of the “made tea” (finished leaf) is the juice trapped naturally inside the tea leaf structure.

How its juice is allowed to release from its native holding cells and the controlled chemical reactions that follow are the processes that make the manufacture of black tea so interesting.

The actual processing of Black tea divides into two styles: Orthodox and Cut -Tear-Curl or Crush-Tea-Curl (CTC). Orthodox Black teas are those that we otherwise call whole leaf tea. They are graded by size and the nomenclature varies by country.

CTC Tea Grades of Orthodox Tea

Orthodox Leaf is classified as Whole Leaf, Broken Leaf, Fanning’s and Dust and is graded by Leaf in each class as indicated above.

WHOLE LEAF

BROKEN LEAF

CTC teas grades are by size from largest to smallest

Difference between CTC Teas and Orthodox Tea Manufacturing

Instead of undergoing the traditional rolling process, CTC teas are put into cutting machines that chop the tea and distribute the cell sap over the surface of the finely cut bits of tea. Unlike the internal cell sap changes brought on by the rolling of orthodox teas, the cutting machines do not allow for the natural internal changes within the leaf. After cutting, the tea is quickly rolled into granular pieces and then moved to the oxidation room.

The goal of CTC production is the opposite of that behind traditionally made orthodox tea. CTC teas were created to fill the needs of teabag packers, who desired that tea would be less bulky and thereby easier to use when filling teabags. The subtlety of Style and Flavour is not the goal of CTC Teas. Rather these teas produce strong, gutsy and as some would say a chewy cup of tea.

Green Tea Grades in India

The manufacture of green tea is all the more fascinating because there are several subcategories of the class. By describing the various styles of green tea, we show how their manufacture differs.

The purpose of the first step in green tea manufacture is to prevent oxidation and to preserve its appealing green colour. The drying process also keeps the soluble solids of the fresh leaf`s juice intact, inside the leaf structure, where they contribute to the flavour, possible astringency and overall healthfulness of the tea manufactured. The fresh leaf that develops into green tea should be dried quickly, completely and thoroughly.

Indian Green Tea Grading Chart

Sorting & Grading of White Tea

The least complicated class of tea to describe but not the least difficult to produce. The manufacture of White Tea is an ancient process. White tea in its original, pure form consists of only the tender unopened bud sets of particular varieties of China tea bush plants that are cultivated especially for this class of tea. White tea has a specific geographical terroir, style, flavour and definition.

In white tea manufacturing, there is no de-enzyme, but there is slight oxidation. All types of white tea are believed to contain slightly less caffeine and fewer polyphenols than other forms of tea, but this analysis is difficult to duplicate consistently because of the many variables involved.

Oolong Tea

Oolong teas are made from large tea leaves and the finished tea varies in appearance, ranging in colour from rich chestnut brown to greenish-grey. Some oolongs have long, slightly twisted leaves that just barely curl up on the ends, while other oolongs have been loosely folded, and still, others have been compressed into small irregularly shaped balls. In most cases, fine oolongs require several infusions for the leaves to unfurl to their fullest extent.

Oolongs are truly the most complicated teas to manufacture. The key to making a successful oolong is in the processing in the crafting of the leaf. Oolongs are semi-oxidized and the range of oxidation is from 35 to 80 per cent, the latitude that allows tea makers to tweak the leaf into a tea that reflects their own expression of style.

Oolong teas possess a diverse and appealing range of sophisticated, complex, and richly rewarding flavours and aromas, such as peach, apricot, honey, orchid, melon, leather, amber and sandalwood. Their finish is long and sweet, with just a suggestion of astringency.

Oolongs can commonly be infused several more times once fully open, for a total of as many as eight or nine infusions. Oolongs on the low end of the oxidation scale bear a resemblance to the tightly curled, tippy midseason green teas, and on the higher end, they look just like a super-large individual -leaf orthodox black tea.

Final Words

You must be clear now on the CTC tea Grades of Indian/ Kenya Origins. If you still have more doubts please comment below and we will respond to your questions.