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Crush,
Tear, Curl
Crush, Tear, and Curl is a method of processing tea. The process
follows that of orthodox tea manufacture, but instead of the
leaves being rolled, they are passed through a series of cylindrical
rollers with hundreds of small sharp "teeth" that
Cut, Tear, and Curl.
This method was invented during WW2 to increase the weight of
tea that could be packed in a sack or chest. Since its advent
in the late 1950s, this process has been widely used by most
of the tea factories in India and Sri Lanka.
This style of manufacture has the advantage that the finished
product brews quickly and yields more cups per kg. In the India
domestic market, this type of manufacture has virtually taken
over - over 80% of tea production is of the CTC type, amounting
to approximately 650 million kg. In the export market, particularly
in the Western hemisphere, where tea-bags have gained popularity,
CTC teas are increasingly in demand.
However, the CTC process diminishes the delicate natural flavors
of tea.
CTC teas produce a rich red color when they are boiled, which
adds a beautiful color to tea made with the Indian method. This
is done by boiling leaves in a mixture of milk, water and sugar
and some spices (producing a Chai or Masala). With that production
method, the tea won't get bitter, and its red comes through
the white of the milk.
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| Processing
of Black Tea |
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Tea Bags
Thomas Sullivan is credited with inventing tea bags in 1908.
Sullivan, a New York tea importer, inadvertently invented
tea bags when he sent tea to clients in small silk bags to
cut costs, and they mistakenly steeped the bags whole.
The customers were interested in the silk bags instead of
the tea. Sullivan did not realise this until they all started
to complain that the orders they received were not in the
bags the samples had been in. Silk was too expensive for bagging,
therefore, he invented tea bags made of gauze.
Most tea sold in the United States is sold in bags.
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