VIETNAM BLACK TEA CTC(“CUT, TEAR, CURL”)
CTC (Crush, Tear, and Curl or Cut, Tear and Curl) is a method of processing Black Tea where tea leaves are passed through a series of cylindrical rollers with serrated blades that crush, tear, and curl the tea into small, even-shaped pellets.Black tea: taking the greatest percentage in the world tea trading market, according to CTC technology process: fresh materials -> withering -> fermenting -> sieving to classify
Specifications:
– Origin: PhuTho province, Vietnam.
– Type: OP, FBOP, P,PS, BPS, F(fanning),D(Dust).
– Rate of dust: maximum of 2% under sieve 100
– Moisture:round 5.57 Pct.
– Ash: 4.92 Pct.
– Tea dust: 0.41 Pct (Screen: 0.40mm).
– Tea dust: 0.08 Pct (Screen: 0.16mm).
– Taste: Super fresh, sweet, mellow, and high floral aroma
– Tanin ≥ 8%
Black tea is produced in five steps : CTC method is done by machine
- Withering – Tea leaves are spread out in large groups and left to wither, losing some of their moisture.
- Rolling – In the orthodox method, the leaves are now rolled so the remaining moisture is released, coating the surface of the leaves with its juices. This method is particularly gentle, so the tea leaves are usually left whole and unbroken. The CTC method, however, chops the tea leaves into tiny pieces, and you’re left with a more dust-like substance.
- Oxidation – The leaves are spread out again, this time in a cool, damp atmosphere, and the oxidation process continues. The color of a tea leaf is originally green, but as oxygen reacts with the cell tissues, it begins to turn a copper color. This is very similar to tree leaves turning from green to brown in the fall.
- Drying – The leaves are dried with hot air, and the color changes from copper to brown or black.
- Sieving/Sorting – The final process involves sorting the tea leaves by size and grade.
| Kind of Tea | Physical appearance | Water color | Aroma | Flavor |
| BOP | red, slight brown, net size 10-14, clean | Brown red, yellow bolder | Specific aroma | Strong flavor, sweet |
| BP | red, slight brown, net size 14-24, clean | Brown red, yellow bolder | Specific aroma | Strong flavor, sweet |
| OF | Brown red, regular small, net size 24-40, clean | Strong brown red | Specific aroma | Strong flavor |
| PF | Brown red, regular small, net size 40-50, clean | Strong brown red | Specific aroma | Strong flavor |
| D | Brown red, fine, net size 50, clean | Little dark brown red | Slightly aromatic | Hardly strong flavor |