Tea packaging and tea writing throws around a lot of words that sound technical but rarely get explained — flush, CTC, whole leaf, tippy, single-origin. Some of these describe how a tea was made, others describe how it's graded or sourced, and a few are simply industry shorthand. As someone who spent years reading these terms on auction catalogues before I ever wrote them on a label, here's what they actually mean.
How Black Tea Is Processed
Plucking — The harvest itself — only the young, tender shoots, typically two leaves and a bud, are skilfully hand-plucked as soon as they're ready. Each bush is plucked on a 6–7 day round depending on the season, and quality depends heavily on plucking standard, which is why the trade often says "tea is made in the field": good plucking guarantees the raw material for good tea, though it doesn't guarantee the finished cup on its own. Hand plucking is generally considered superior to machine plucking for quality, and women's labour is traditionally deployed for its gentler, more careful touch.
Withering — The first processing step, where freshly plucked leaves are spread out — typically on mesh in troughs, with air passed through them — to reduce moisture by up to around 70%, depending on the region. This takes roughly 7 to 14 hours, and leaves the leaf limp and pliable enough to roll well.
Rolling — The step where withered leaf is placed into a rolling machine that rotates horizontally, twisting the leaf into its familiar wiry shape while also breaking open the leaf's cell walls — which is what starts oxidation.
Oxidation — A chemical reaction, similar to a cut apple browning, that begins once a tea leaf's cell walls are broken during rolling. The leaf changes from green through light brown to deep brown as it oxidises, typically at around 26°C, taking anywhere from 1 to 3 hours depending on temperature. This stage is where a black tea's brightness, briskness, flavour, colour and strength are largely created — and if left too long, the flavour can spoil, so it's closely monitored throughout.
Firing / Drying — The final step, where oxidation is deliberately halted by passing the tea through hot air dryers, reducing moisture content down to roughly 3%. Once fired, the tea is stable and ready to be sorted into grades before packing.
CTC Manufacture
CTC (Crush-Tear-Curl) — A faster, mechanised alternative to the process above, where instead of rolling, withered leaf is passed through cylindrical rollers covered in hundreds of small teeth that crush, tear and curl it in one motion. The prototype machine was installed at the Amgoorie Factory in Assam in 1931, developed by W. McKercher, and the method is now used worldwide. After crushing, CTC tea is oxidised and fired much like the process above, but its smaller, more uniform particle size gives it a faster, stronger, brisker brew — the backbone of most everyday chai. This traditional, rolled route is generally referred to as Orthodox manufacture, in contrast to CTC.
How Green and Oolong Diverge From Black Tea
Green and oolong teas follow much of the same early path as black tea, but branch off at key points:
Green Tea Manufacture — Skips oxidation entirely. Immediately after plucking, the leaf is steamed, boiled or pan-heated to destroy the enzymes responsible for oxidation, which is what keeps green tea green rather than letting it brown. Rolling, drying and sorting follow, and withering is usually omitted altogether, though some Chinese green teas do wither briefly before pan-firing.
Oolong Tea Manufacture — Follows the same broad path as black tea but with extra steps built in. Freshly plucked leaf is first sun-withered for a couple of hours before moving to withering troughs, then repeatedly rubbed after withering to develop flavour, aroma and texture. The defining skill in oolong-making is stopping oxidation at exactly the right partial point — anywhere from about 10 to 80% depending on style — before a final, often higher-temperature firing, traditionally over charcoal, with grading done by a tea master.
Tea Grades
Once a tea is fired, it's sorted by leaf particle size into grades, which affect how it brews as much as how it looks:
Orthodox:
Whole Leaf — Tea leaves that remain largely intact through processing, as opposed to being broken or cut. Whole leaf teas generally brew more gently and can be steeped multiple times.
Broken Leaf / Fannings / Dust — Grades below whole leaf, made of progressively smaller leaf particles left over from sorting. Smaller particles brew faster and stronger — dust is what's typically used in commercial tea bags.
Tippy / Golden Tips — Refers to the presence of the youngest, unopened leaf buds in a tea, often covered in fine silvery or golden hairs. A tippy tea generally signals a careful, high-quality pluck.
CTC:
Broken Leaf Grades — Larger sized pieces offering a balanced and robust brew.
Fanning Grades — Smaller particles, great for strong infusions and frequently used in tea bags.
Dust Grades — The finest particles that brew the fastest, yielding an extremely dark, concentrated, and full-bodied cup.
How Indian Tea Regions Are Organised
Indian tea production is broadly grouped into four geographical zones, each with its own sub-regions:
Assam — Divided into North Bank, South Bank and Cachar, all within the Brahmaputra valley — the source of the malty, full-bodied black teas the region is known for.
Darjeeling — Divided by elevation into low-elevation and high-elevation gardens, with altitude playing a major role in shaping a garden's character, alongside its flush.
North Bengal — Covers the Dooars and Terai regions, both lower-altitude areas near Darjeeling that produce a fuller-bodied style distinct from Darjeeling proper.
South India — Split between the Nilgiris, known for high-grown teas, and the Wyanad, Peermade and Vandiperiyar areas, known for low-grown teas — a very different profile from the Nilgiris' brisk, high-altitude character.
South India's growing calendar also works differently from the North. Rather than distinct flushes, production runs throughout the year. In the Nilgiris, the quality period falls between December and February, while low-grown teas from Wyanad, Peermade and Vandiperiyar see a dip in quality from June to August, driven by monsoon rains.
How a Tea Is Timed and Sourced
Flush — The specific plucking season a tea was harvested in. In North India, the tea calendar runs First Flush, Second Flush, the post-quality/rains period, and end of season, each producing a noticeably different cup from the same bushes.
First Flush — The first harvest of the season, plucked from March to early May in North India, typically light-bodied, delicate and greenish in the cup — most associated with Darjeeling.
Second Flush — The harvest that follows First Flush, plucked from mid-May to early July. This is also called the quality period, since it's when a tea's most distinctive characters — brightness, briskness, colour and strength — are at their peak, and when Darjeeling's signature muscatel character usually appears.
Post-Quality / Rains Period — The monsoon-driven harvest running roughly July to October, when the bulk of North India's annual tea production actually occurs, even though the standout "quality period" character has passed.
End of Season — The final harvest window, from late October to December, when a seasonal decline in character is typical, though October can bring a distinctive Autumn character prized by some drinkers. Production in North India then pauses through winter, when low temperatures and no rainfall halt plucking and gardens shift to cold-weather work like pruning, bush and frame formation, factory renovation and irrigation.
Garden / Estate — The specific tea plantation where a tea was grown. Like a vineyard, each garden has its own soil, altitude and microclimate that shape the tea's character, which is why the same tea type can taste different from one estate to the next.
Single-Origin — Tea sourced from one specific garden or region, rather than blended from multiple sources — allowing the character of that particular place and season to come through clearly.
Who's Who in the Tea Trade
Before a tea reaches a shelf, it typically passes through three distinct roles in the trade:
Producer — The tea garden or factory that grows and manufactures the tea — the starting point of every lot that eventually reaches auction or direct sale.
Auctioneer / Broker — The intermediary who catalogues, values and sells tea lots on behalf of producers, running the auction process that connects gardens to buyers.
Buyer / Exporter — The company or individual purchasing tea, whether for domestic packaging, blending, or export — the role I spent years working in myself, buying at the Darjeeling auctions.
Electronic Tea Auction — India’s electronic tea auction system, regulated by the Tea Board of India handles over 500 million kilograms of bulk tea annually across seven auction centers: Kolkata, Siliguri, Guwahati, Jalpaiguri, Cochin, Coimbatore, and Coonoor. The system ensures price discovery, transparency, and traceability for producers, buyers, and brokers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between Orthodox and CTC?
Orthodox is the traditional route — withering, rolling, oxidation and firing, largely by hand or light machine — that keeps the leaf whole or twisted. CTC replaces rolling with a crush-tear-curl machine, producing small, uniform granules that brew faster and stronger, which is why CTC is the backbone of most everyday chai.
How much moisture does withering actually remove?
Withering typically reduces moisture in the leaf by up to around 70%, though the exact figure varies by region. It takes roughly 7 to 14 hours and leaves the leaf soft and pliable enough to roll properly.
At what temperature does black tea oxidise?
Oxidation typically happens at around 26°C and takes between 1 and 3 hours depending on temperature. It's closely monitored, since leaving it too long can spoil the tea's flavour.
Where did CTC processing come from?
The prototype CTC machine was installed at the Amgoorie Factory in Assam in 1931, developed by W. McKercher. It's now used across the global tea industry for fast, strong-brewing tea.
Why doesn't green tea taste like black tea if it comes from the same plant?
Because green tea skips oxidation entirely. The leaf is steamed, boiled or pan-heated immediately after plucking to destroy the enzymes that would otherwise cause it to brown and develop black tea's deeper character.
Is dust or fannings a lower-quality tea?
Not automatically lower quality — just a different leaf size, generally used where a fast, strong brew matters more than delicate multiple infusions, such as in standard tea bags.
What does 'quality period' mean?
It refers to Second Flush in North India (mid-May to early July), when a tea's best characteristics are at their peak. South India has its own quality period too: December to February for Nilgiri high-grown teas.
Why does tea production stop in North India during winter?
Winter brings low temperatures and no rainfall, which halts the bush's growth entirely. Gardens use this dormant period for essential upkeep instead — pruning, bush and frame formation, factory renovation and irrigation work — to prepare for the next First Flush.
What's the difference between Assam's North Bank, South Bank and Cachar?
These are the three sub-regions Assam's tea production is divided into, all within the Brahmaputra valley. They share the region's broad malty character but can differ subtly in body and strength due to local soil and microclimate.
What does a broker actually do in the tea trade?
A broker acts as the auctioneer and intermediary between producer and buyer — cataloguing, valuing and running the sale of tea lots to keep the process transparent and fair for everyone involved.