CTC tea stands for Crush Tear Curl tea. It is a type of tea that is best used for chai. This blog post goes in depth about what CTC tea is, where to buy it, and the pros and cons of using this variety of tea.
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Definition
CTC stands for Crush Tear Curl. The name of this tea refers to the machine process where black tea leaves are dried and then go through a cylindrical machine with teeth where they are crushed, teared, and curled into small granules.
CTC tea vs. orthodox tea
CTC tea and orthodox tea are two major classifications of tea. Here are some key differences between the two:
- Variety of Tea - When folks mention CTC tea, they are referring more specifically to black tea varieties whereas orthodox tea can be black, green, or any variety.
- Tea Size - CTC is formed into small pellets whereas orthodox tea is made up of long loose leaf strands.
- Production - CTC tea is machine processed through the crush, tear, curl process whereas orthodox tea is handpicked.
- Quality - CTC tea uses lower quality tea leaves compared to orthodox tea. This lower quality CTC tea was what was sold to the Indian population when the British introduced it to the region. You can read more about the complicated history here. Within the orthodox tea umbrella, there is a complicated tea quality rating system which helps determine the quality of the loose leaf tea.
- Flavor - CTC goes through a machine process which creates small tea granules that oxide over time. This leads to a consistent flavor, however this flavor can be bitter and astringent compared to orthodox tea which is known for its subtlety and nuances in flavor. The strong nature of CTC tea is precisely what makes it so great for drinks like masala chai because it can stand up to the strong spices in the drink.
- Steeping Time - CTC tea has lots of smaller granules with a greater overall surface area which allow it to steep faster than orthodox tea, which typically require a longer steep time.
- Price - Orthodox tea is carefully handpicked and further categorized which makes it more expensive than the machine-processed CTC tea.
Loose leaf tea vs. tea bags
Loose leaf tea refers to tea leaves that are sold in a large bag and will need to be portioned out and filtered once steeped whereas tea bags are packaged in single serving bags that can be steeped in water without the need for filtering. In general, orthodox tea comes in a loose leaf packaging whereas CTC tea can be found in loose leaf form or in tea bags.
Tea bags tend to have some combination of CTC tea and/or dust tea also known as middlings. Although these terms are often used interchangeably in writing, I've found that when buying purely loose leaf CTC tea, all of the granules are in a pellet form which is what I refer to as CTC tea. When I dump the contents of tea bags they have a combo of the CTC pellet granules along with wispy and sawdusty-textured tea which I then refer to as the dust tea or middlings portion.
Is loose leaf better or tea bag better?
In general, I prefer loose leaf tea over the tea bag because it is usually a higher quality tea, I can control how much tea I want in each serving, there isn't added waste with the tea bag, and the convenience of the tea bag is minimal since I have both a big strainer for a large batch of tea and one that fits conveniently in my tea cups. If you are going down the tea bag method, make sure to use ~2 bags for 1 tablespoon of loose leaf CTC black tea written in the recipe. I find that two bags is the right amount for a tea that is as strong as when using loose leaf tea.
Assam vs. darjeeling tea
Assam tea and Darjeeling tea are two varieties of Indian teas named after the regions in India where they are grown. Assam tea is much stronger and acidic than Darjeeling tea which is more fruity. When it comes to buying these teas in CTC form for chai, I recommend Assam tea as Darjeeling tea is much more expensive and its nuanced flavor is better appreciated when it is consumed without milk and bought in a loose leaf orthodox variety.
What is the best tea for chai?
Over the years, folks have come to me complaining that their chai tastes mostly like milk. The number one culprit of a weak chai is using the wrong type of tea. The best type of tea to use for chai is black CTC tea.
Although everyone has their own recipe for chai, chai typically consists of steeping a black tea with various spices and with a 1:1 ratio of milk to water. Black CTC tea is best used for chai because it brews a strong cup which is bitter on its own but is balanced with the high percentage of milk and spices. When using orthodox loose leaf teas in making chai, it yields a chai that often just tastes like milk because this variety of tea is light and subtle. If going this route, make sure to increase the quantity of orthodox tea and steep for double the time that the chai recipe states.
Best tea to buy for chai
When it comes to buying tea for chai, there are many different approaches you can choose from:
- Plain loose leaf black CTC tea
- Chai mixes
- Chai concentrate
Below are the pros and cons of each approach and brands that I recommend for each category.
Plain loose leaf black CTC tea is the best for chai
This is a black plain CTC tea that doesn't have the spices pre-added. This is my preferred way of making chai at home!
Pros:
- Can add fresh spices to your preference
- One bag of tea can yield various different types of chai like masala chai, cardamom chai, or rose chai.
Cons:
- Only found at Indian grocery stores and online. Not available in American grocery stores.
Brands to buy:
- Red Label Loose Leaf Tea: This can be found at your local Indian store or online.
- Diaspora Co: This is super fresh tea that is usually harvested the same year and ethically sourced.
Buy Now → Chai mixes are solid when you want a consistent cup of tea
My second preferred option for tea for chai is buying a box that has the word chai on it. Typically these types of boxes have both CTC tea and broken bits of spices within the mix.
Pros:
- Readily found in American grocery stores and online
- Don't need to worry about adding spices
Cons:
- Don't get to customize spices to your liking
Brands to buy:
- Kolkata Chai Mix - This brand's owners are Indian-American and you can tell based on the taste of this mix. This chai mix tastes very similar to a cup of chai you would find in an Indian household.
Buy Now → Chai concentrates are for convenience
Chai concentrate is my third preferred product. The average concentrate tends to be overly sweet so they can be a hit or a miss. However, there are a lot more South Asian business owners that are now coming up with better products.
Pros:
- Convenience
Cons:
- Can tend to be overly sweet
Brands to buy:
- One Stripe Chai Co. - This concentrate is one of the few on the market that comes unsweetened. I love the punchy flavors of this concentrate that can be made into an iced chai or hot chai that you can customize to your desired sweetness.
One Stripe Chai Co Concentrate
Buy Now →Caffeine content in CTC tea
The caffeine content in a cup of CTC black tea will be anywhere between 50-90mg of caffeine per cup brewed compared to coffee which typically ranges between 80-100mg.
Is it safe to consume chai when pregnant?
According to the NIH, the recommended range for caffeine consumption for pregnant women is <200mg per day, so a cup of chai which rests between 50-90mg of caffeine should be alright to consume. As always, consult with your doctor for the most up to date and accurate information.
Decaf and caffeine free substitutes for black CTC tea
Here are my recommendations for decaf and caffeine free substitutes for black CTC tea. You can learn more about making decaf chai in this detailed blog post which also has a recipe for decaf masala chai.
- (Decaf) Red Rose Decaf Black Tea Bags - It has been really difficult to source black CTC tea in loose leaf form that is also decaf and has no added spices. However, decaf black tea bags are the ones I use when I teach my chai class in the night time. You need to use double the quantity of tea in order to get the same potent flavor. Follow the rule of thumb which is that 1 tablespoons loose leaf black tea = 2 tablespoons of decaf loose leaf black tea = 8 decaf black tea bags. You can use this tea and your favorite chai masala.
- (Decaf) Kolkata Chai Decaf Chai Mix - Best decaf chai mix - no additional spices needed!
- (Caffeine Free) Rooibos Tea - Rooibos is a naturally caffeine free tea that you can use as a substitute for black CTC tea. However, rooibos does have a distinctly different taste that is more caramel-y and sweeter than black tea.
Buy Now → 
Kolkata Chai Co Decaf Masala Chai Mix
Buy Now →
Buy Now → Recipes with CTC tea
Black CTC tea is notoriously used to make a good cup of chai! So here are some different recipes that use this ingredient.
Please let me know if this article was helpful. Feel free to ask any other questions about CTC tea that I can help answer.
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