Ctc tea and orthodox tea, what is the difference

CTC tea and orthodox tea, what is the difference?

As we all know, tea leaves are plucked during the season of harvest by the employees in the tea garden, and they are later on oxidized, fermented and processed, using different methods. There are two major methods used for processing tea and they are CTC or crush, tear and curl method and orthodox method. While the CTC method is a more capitalintensive process, which includes the use of heavy machinery for pulverizing the leaves into small, homogenous looking pellet like structures. Orthodox brews are hand-rolled and employ a labor-intensive method for the processing of the leaves. It is the method of processing which majorly distinguishes these two brews.

Why is orthodox and CTC tea produced?

Well, in a market like India, the demand for tea is ever-increasing. In fact, in spite of there being so many tea brands, the demand for tea is more than its supply. To meet these market demands, companies employe machines to process the leaves as quickly as possible. The cylindrical rollers with thousands of teeth, pulverize the tea leaves and process them in a day or two before it is packaged and shipped to the retail houses.

CTC tea was basically introduced to meet the demands of the masses, it is a quick method of getting the work done. This kind of tea is really inexpensive and does not have many health benefits to offer. Orthodox tea is hand-rolled to perfection and because of this particular reason, the tea leaves have their properties intact. This is a more health benefitting tea and will protect your body from various kinds of diseases. However, it is really expensive, because it is harvested using the traditional method and the production process is time consuming and requires immense manpower, which can be really pocket-pinching.

The difference in flavor profile Orthodox tea definitely provides with a much better tea drinking experience because it has a holistic appeal about it; it is more of authentic tea drinking experience. It has a delicate flavor which lingers on the palate even after the tea is consumed. CTC tea, on the other hand, has a generic taste. However, if you want good quality tea you can always buy Darjeeling tea from Teafloor, to help yourself with some delicious cuppa. If you happen to be on a budget, then CTC tea is absolutely perfect because orthodox teas are really expensive and may not bne the most pocket friendly.