CRUSH, TEAR, CURL (CTC) TEA LEAVES

CTC tea actually refers to a method of processing black tea. Named for the process, “crush, tear, curl” in which black tea leaves are run through a series of cylindrical rollers. The rollers have hundreds of sharp teeth that crush, tear, and curl the leaves. The rollers produce small, hard pellets made of tea. This CTC method is different from standard tea manufacturing, in which the tea leaves are simply rolled into strips. Tea made via this method is called CTC tea.