Processing
/see-tee-see/
'Crush, Tear, Curl' — the industrial process that produces small uniform pellets for tea bags.
Invented in the 1930s in Assam to mass-produce strong, fast-brewing tea, CTC dominates global volume — Kenya, Assam, and most teabag fillers. It cannot make subtle teas, but it makes excellent chai.
Related terms
From the Journal
The largest tea-growing region in the world produces 700 million kilos a year. Inside the Indian floodplain that fills your morning mug.
by Sameera
Kenya is the world's largest exporter of black tea — and almost no one outside the trade can name a single Kenyan estate. A look at tea's most under-recognised power.
by Sameera
The Tea List dispatch
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