Orthodox vs CTC Tea: What's the Difference?

The Orthodox Method

This traditional method involves rolling the tea leaves to gently break the cells and initiate oxidation, while keeping the leaf largely intact. This produces a complex, aromatic cup that changes as it cools.

The CTC Method

Crush, Tear, Curl (CTC) is a highly mechanized process that chops the leaf into small, uniform pellets. It yields a very strong, quick-brewing cup (often used in generic teabags or Masala Chai) but sacrifices the nuanced aromatics of the Orthodox method.