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Comparison of the differences between two traditional processing processes of black tea the difference in aroma and taste between CTC and traditional methods

Published: 2026-07-13 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/07/13, Tea-making craft tea (tea trees) is grown in thousands of tea gardens and tea gardens around the world. Although tea is produced in dozens of countries, the five traditional tea producing regions are China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and Taiwan (Formosa). Like wine, plant varieties, soil types, altitude

Tea-making technology

Tea (tea trees) is grown in thousands of tea gardens and tea gardens around the world. Although tea is produced in dozens of countries, the five traditional tea producing regions are China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and Taiwan (Formosa). Like wine, changes in plant varieties, soil types, altitude and climate give each tea garden its unique characteristics and flavor.

All types of tea start with the tea of the same plant, tea tree. The processing method of tea after picking determines whether it becomes white tea, green tea, oolong tea, black tea or Pu'er tea. Tea can be made in one of two ways, orthodox or CTC. Traditional production methods, whether by hand or by machine, can usually maintain the integrity of tea. On the other hand, CTC manufacturing (or "crushing, curling and tearing") uses machines to chop, chop, or crush leaves.

Both methods can produce high-quality tea; however, traditional methods are generally considered to be more "traditional" and the tea produced is usually more complex in terms of flavor and aroma.

Traditional manufacturing: traditional manufacturing begins with selective picking (usually by hand) of tea. The leaves are allowed to wither, reducing water content and making them soft and flexible. Once withered, the leaves are gently rolled up to break down the cellular structure and begin the oxidation process. The oxidation stage is mainly responsible for dividing tea into different categories-white tea, green tea, oolong tea and black tea. The longer the oxidation process lasts, the darker the leaves become. Once the required oxidation level is reached, the leaves are dried to stop the oxidation process and make it suitable for distribution. Then the dried leaves are graded and classified into various sizes.

CTC manufacturing: CTC (Extrusion, tear and Curl) is the most famous unorthodox manufacturing method. It was invented during World War II to increase the weight of tea that can be packed in boxes. It also eliminates some of the labor needed to produce tea, thus improving the speed and efficiency of tea production. In the process of crushing and curling, the tea is picked and withered. After the tea has dried up, it is crushed, torn and rolled into irregular balls that look a bit like coffee grounds through a series of cylindrical rollers. Once finished, the leaves are oxidized and finally burned. After firing, the tea is divided into different grades. CTC tea is mainly used in mass market tea bags. Because the particle size of CTC tea is smaller and its specific surface area is larger than that of whole-leaf tea, it has faster brewing speed, thicker tea body and more convergence.

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