All teas from the Assam region of India are not made alike. More correctly, they are not processed alike. They all grow in this wonderful region where the Brahmaputra River flows, but how they end up after that is like a tale of reaching a fork in the road and deciding which to take.
The plant varietal for teas from Assam is the Camellia Sinensis assamica, known to the natives there for hundreds of years. It was cultivated in plantations by the British after they came across it while seeking an alternative to tea grown in China. Harvesting is mainly by hand, since the tea is grown in hilly terrain. Then, the leaves follow either the Orthodox or the “CTC” road to your teacup. For this article, I’m addressing only the latter.
Basically, CTC is machine processed tea. There is some conflict, though, on what “CTC” stands for.
Some definitions I’ve seen:
- Cut, Tear, Curl
- Cut, Tear, Crush
- Curl, Tear, Crush
- Crush, Tear, Curl (Harney & Sons Guide to Tea)
- Crush, Curl, Twined – yes, I noticed the words are in a different order than the acronym
I’m not sure which is standard, but the Harney & Sons option seems most common. I do know that crushing is part of the processing of this type of Assam tea. So is cutting and tearing. I’m not sure how curling fits in. These teas tend to look like tiny nuggets, similar to Grape Nuts (which contains no grapes and no nuts, just double-toasted bread crumbs).

CTC Assam
Regardless, CTC Assam tends to be less expensive and lesser quality than what is called “orthodox” Assam. It’s not only machine processed but is usually fully oxidized (black). It steeps up an amber-colored liquid with a rich malty flavor tending toward the bitter side. It takes milk well and can usually use a bit of sugar or other sweetener, too, serving as a great tea to use in chai (spiced tea).
CTC Assams tend to be blends of tea leaves harvested from more than one plantation during the first “flush” (harvest). This makes their flavor fairly consistent from one batch to another. Generally, they are consumed by the local populations in India, where they are prepared a traditional way (boiled in a combination of milk, water, and sugar) since they are considered lower quality tea. However, if the tea at the start of the process is good quality, the CTC tea at the end of the process will be good quality.
You can find pure CTC Assam tea in local markets that carry foods from India. I’m fortunate to have a few of these in my local area. It’s also in teas called “Irish Breakfast” and available from a variety of sources.
I tend to steep my CTC Assam tea in straight water in a teapot, as I do with other black teas. Then, I add my milk and sweetener to the cup, and then pour in the tea. It’s not traditional, but it’s very tasty. If you’re the kind of tea drinker that doesn’t like milk in your tea, and possibly no sweetener either, this type of Assam may not be a good choice. Steeped to a good, strong liquid, CTC Assam can really make you pucker. Of course, you can always try to steep up a weak version by reducing the amount of tea used and/or shortening the steeping time. In tea drinking, there are no hard and fast rules except one: your tastebuds rule. Make the tea the way it tastes good to you.
Happy steeping!
What is Tea Time with A.C. Cargill? Click to find out!
26 comments
Comments feed for this article
February 10, 2014 at 5:19 pm
Tea 201 – Indian CTC Black Tea « Tea-Guy
[…] CTC tea is drunk typically by the general public in India and in the usual manner: boiled in a combination of milk, water and sugar. This is done simply because CTC is considered to have a bitter taste due to its supposed “low quality.” In all honesty, the flavor of the CTC tea is purely based on whether or not the harvest was of good quality or not. This tea is popular due to the fact that the tea can be mixed with other herbs, spices and creams as well as manipulated to appease the taste buds of the drinker. […]
December 2, 2013 at 2:48 pm
Bad Milk = Bad Tea | Tea Blog
[…] of the best teas for adding milk are CTC Assams, Chinese blacks like Keemun Panda and Nine Bend Black Dragon, and even some Darjeelings such as […]
December 2, 2013 at 2:47 pm
What Is “Orthodox Assam”? | Tea Blog
[…] are further distinctions from there, but these two are the starting points. I already explored CTC. Now it’s time to look at what “Orthodox Assam” tea […]
October 14, 2013 at 9:05 am
Tea and the Curry Take-Away | Tea Blog
[…] tea I like best with these is a good, strong Assam, preferably the CTC style and with a pinch of masala, a big splash of milk, and a packet of sweetener. The strong tea is […]
September 20, 2013 at 9:05 am
5 Signs That You’re “Going Indian” at Tea Time | Tea Blog
[…] authentic version of “masala chai” (spiced tea). The main tea is a CTC style of Assam. (See What Is “CTC Assam”? for more info.) However, I have found other teas equally suitable, including English Breakfast […]
August 2, 2013 at 9:07 am
Tea Garden Visionary: Rajiv Lochan | Tea Blog
[…] flush to leaves harvested later in the growing season and sold to tea factories for processing as CTC teas. Again, because he thinks it’s the right thing to do and not through any force, he shares profits […]
February 27, 2013 at 9:06 am
Can You Blend CTC and Orthodox Teas? | Tea Blog
[…] There is some debate about what “CTC” stands for (“Cut, Tear, Curl,” “Cut, Tear, Crush,” “Curl, Tear, Crush,” or “Crush, Tear, Curl” are common ones). But they all agree that it’s machine processed tea. Often, it’s a blend of the same type of tea leaves from various growers. Blending helps deliver a consistent quality and taste from harvest to harvest and garden to garden. It helps meet large-scale demand versus each garden trying to market to a public that may not even know enough to tell the difference. The tea bits are in little nuggets quite often (to hubby and me they look like Grape Nuts bits). (More details here.) […]
October 31, 2012 at 9:05 am
What’s Your Tea Mood? « Tea Blog
[…] Gray days seem to call for something with a lot of zing, such as the rich, malty flavor of a nice CTC Assam (or a blend with it as the base) that will bring some internal sunshine to your day. Sunny days […]
September 28, 2012 at 9:06 am
Tea Kettle Philosophy — Judging by Appearance « Tea Blog
[…] example is CTC versus orthodox teas. Their appearance is a fairly accurate predictor of their flavors. You can get […]
September 4, 2012 at 9:07 am
Teas from Africa: Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Rwanda « Tea Blog
[…] formed associations to help them bring their tea leaves to market. Those leaves are processed into CTC black tea that has a strong, fruity flavor — a good example is English Breakfast Tea which blends […]
April 18, 2012 at 9:05 am
Pairing Tea and Food — Pomegranate Vanilla Scones and Sencha Tea « Tea Blog
[…] with hubby and me, since it takes milk well and goes great with just about any baked item. Straight CTC Assam was another option, with its malty goodness made better with milk and sweetener. A black Ceylon tea […]
February 29, 2012 at 9:02 am
Skimping on the Tea Leaves « Tea Blog
[…] a nice potful of a black tea like CTC Assam, you need a teaspoon full of dry tea per each cup of water. My 6-cup teapot takes 6 teaspoons, and […]
December 2, 2011 at 9:03 am
Review ― Assam TGFOP from The English Tea Store « Tea Blog
[…] Assam Tea Basics More on Assam Some Assam Tea Types Great Assam Breakfast Blends What Is “CTC Assam”? What Is “Orthodox Assam”? Battle of the Assam Estate Teas Is Snobbery Ruining […]
October 12, 2011 at 12:35 pm
Morning RouTEAne « Tea Blog
[…] also don’t want the ground-into-dust black teas either, whether bagged or loose. The nuggets of a CTC Assam or the broken leaf of many other black teas is preferred, bagged or not. Or an oolong, able to be […]
October 3, 2011 at 4:47 am
Reekam
What is the cost of tea unit plant for small setup?
October 3, 2011 at 2:15 pm
A.C. Cargill
Hi, Reekam, no idea. I am not a tea estate owner. Thanks for reading.
September 11, 2011 at 11:24 am
Battle of the Assam Estate Teas « Tea Blog
[…] the initial skirmish — the dry tea comparison. Visually, all three teas are Orthodox Assams, not CTC Assams, and are quite similar in their dry, pre-steeped form, as shown […]
September 10, 2011 at 3:55 pm
Understeeping Your Tea Can Be Good « Tea Blog
[…] before they are dried and processed. This plus some of the processing techniques, especially the CTC (crush, tear, curl) machine kind, makes tannins more prevalent in the steeped liquid which then […]
August 25, 2011 at 9:04 am
Is Snobbery Ruining Assam Tea? « Tea Blog
[…] favorite tea is CTC Assam, a lower quality, machine processed tea from the Assam area of India that is usually consumed by […]
August 24, 2011 at 9:02 am
Tea and “Comfort Foods” « Tea Blog
[…] enough to give you that feeling of inner peace. The tea I turn to most often for this purpose is a CTC Assam, but I find some Barry’s Gold Blend, PG Tips Black Tea, or even Typhoo will do the job, […]
June 27, 2011 at 9:08 am
Tea Time Looping « Tea Blog
[…] sleep sometime). The tricky part can be selecting which tea to steep. A breakfast blend or a nice CTC Assam to kick start my day, an oolong to smooth me through lunch, a nice green tea to brighten the […]
May 23, 2011 at 9:59 am
Cream Pitchers — Unsung Heroes of Tea Time « Tea Blog
[…] all teas can take milk in them. Those black Orange Pekoe teas certainly can, as well as CTC Assams like in most Irish Breakfast blends. An Assam/Keemun blend like Scottish Breakfast is another good […]
March 7, 2011 at 5:25 pm
Major Assam Tea Estates « Tea Blog
[…] tea estate now has almost 1000 hectares planted with tea, over 1900 workers, and produces both the CTC and Orthodox types of Assam teas. They boast yields of about 2000 kg of tea per hectare per year, […]
February 28, 2011 at 2:13 pm
Learning About Life Through Tea « Tea Blog
[…] will conjure images of pinewood fires drying the leaves. The jammy, malty aroma and flavor of a CTC Assam will transport you to the Assam area of India and make that flavor seem even richer. You’ll […]
September 13, 2010 at 8:11 am
Pnk Guru
To South Indian tea merchants, Assam tea comes to extend a helping hand to blend with western ghat teas. All are believing that all Assam teas have good color. But we can not take it granted!
Some Assam teas are also inferior to some South Indian teas. This could be found out by scientific a tea tasting methods spelled out in the tea book: Tea Taster: How to become tea taster?
September 9, 2010 at 3:28 pm
The Devotea
As a black-no-sugar drinker, I agree, getting the timing right on a quick brew CTC Assam is challenging, but very worthwhile.
I usually add the water to the pot of Assam CTC, then place two teaspoons of sugar in my wife’s cup, then get the milk out and add it to her cup, then pour my tea straight away, so it’s only brewed about a minute for me. I let hers brew a further half a minute and pour.
Actually a great tea to make on a commercial break while watching telly!
I’ve always believed it was Cut, Tear, Curl . It seems McKetcher who invented the method, described it as such.