India Develops Its Tea Industry

The tea industry in India was created to satisfy England's desire for high quality black teas without dependency on trade with China. First, the British East India Company's monopoly of the tea trade and its dominance over India where the Company maintained the largest private army in history had to be broken. At the same time growers and tea experts were experimenting with seeds, plants and cuttings secured from China which they believed would grow in India's climate. Notably, an indigenous strain of tea plant growing wild in India had been discovered years earlier. The year 1838 marked the first Indian tea harvest, a mere 350 lbs., to be auctioned in London. It was greeted with much excitement and high reviews from tea experts.

In 1858 the British East India Company turned its rule over India to Britain. The stage was set for the rapid expansion of tea product. As it turned out the indigenous plants produced tea far superior in quality to the Chinese transplants. And so the Indian tea industry was born. Now India produces more tea than any other country, save China.

The Leaf Is All: Manufacturing Method - Orthodox vs. CTC

Based in tradition and the need for quality control, the the method of picking and processing tea leaves is of prime importance. There are many aspects to leaf treatment that can aid the knowledgeable consumer in choosing an agreeable tea. Most American tea drinkers have little or no background in tea production and leaf grading. This and subsequent catalogs will attempt make clear the mysterious world of the tea leaf in small, easy to understand doses.

Here we look at the basic methods of black tea manufacture: orthodox and CTC (cut, tear, and curl). All teas leaves lose much of their moisture when they are laid out in warm rooms and allowed to wither for 18 to 24 hours. After the withering step, the procedures for orthodox and CTC methods diverge. Following the orthodox method, the leaves are then gently rolled for 1 to 3 hours in a machine to bruise, crush or thereby release the leaf's juices and chemicals.

Using the CTC method the leaves are machine chopped into uniform and very small pieces. After that both methods similarly complete the process. The leaves are next spread out on a table to oxidize. Oxidation is crucial because it is then that the leaves develop their flavor, aroma strength and depth of body. At just the right time the leaves are fired with hot air and oxidation ends.

CTC teas are fine and granular; they steep readily in 2 to 3 minutes and they're ideal for blending and especially for tea bags. Of course, they can also be steeped in a fine nylon or steel mesh infuser, or a paper filter. Choose a CTC tea for a quick brew, colorful liquor and strength. More and more countries are converting to CTC production only.