CTC
Stands for Cut-Tear-Curl. CTC tea is not a leaf but granulated tea pellets, which make a strong liquor, brisk but harsh. It is simple and easy to produce and requires less labor. CTC can make tea at any time of the year and is not deterred by rain.

This tea process yields more cups per pound and is ideal for tea bags. This method also promises greater returns for the producer but nobody can make fine or great tea this way.

ORTHODOX
First the leaf is plucked. There is fine and coarse plucking. Fine is two leaves and a bud, coarse means anything but the youngest end of the shoot. The more mature the leaf the less flavor it contains.

The leaf is then sent to rolling machines to burise and crush the withered green leaf so the juice is released. After about 30 minutes of rolling, the leaf must ferment or oxidize. After fermentation the leaf is fired or dried. The end product consists of all sizes of leaf and leaf particle jumbled together which then have to be sorted. This sorting process is called leaf grading—a seperation of the different size leaves.

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Whether tea leaves or coffee beans, blends are the unique combination of different types of teas which are grown in the different, indigenous climates around the World.

These leaves take on the qualities of each climate, which are the character and flavor they become and illuminate. These lands lend their unique soil and air qualities to the leaf or itself, offering us as the drinker, the benefits of their purity and minerals.

English and other breakfast teas consists of whatever the blender believes to be a unique taste.

Earl Grey is named after Charles Earl Grey. The origins of his tea recipe still remain a mystery although countless other (Twinings & Jacksons), declare they were entrusted with the original recipe.

As in all the great cooking houses of the world the chef's character and style help to interpret the delicacy prepared. So too, with the great coffeehouse purveyor their knowledge, style and character are added to every blend produced.

Each recipe is a carefully guarded secret and we have been developing the character and flavor of our blends for over 100 years.

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CHINA
China is to tea what France is to wine. There are thousands of teas disseminating from China alone. The Chinese divide tea into 6 categories: green tea, white tea, yellow tea, black tea, dark black tea and scented or flower tea.

JAPAN
All of the tea of Japan is green and it all comes from south of Tokyo. Types of Japan tea: Gyokuro, Sencha, Bancha, Kukicha, Hojicha and Genmaicha.

TAIWAN
Formosa Oolong is latin for "shapely, beautiful", the name the Portuguese explorers gave the island. Oolong or semi-fermented tea is neither green nor black but in a class unto itself. The Oolong capital of the world produces jade, amber or champagne oolongs. Jade Oolong is yellow-golden with a delicate aroma Amber Oolong has a rich and roasty aroma and flavor with a lingering sweetness. Formosa Oolong, flamboyantly perfumed with a taste and aroma of ripe peaches. Deliciously fruity Formosa Oolong is both delicate and lush, rich and light.

INDIA
The world's largest producer of tea. Some of the most flavorful teas come from India. Assam produces one of the world's strongest teas, full-bodied, malty and unusually fruity. In Darjeeling the character and quality vary dramatically but in an exceptional year these teas are simply spectacular. Darjeeling tea is the world's costliest. Nilgiri produces a black tea that, in India is used to make chai. Chai is a tea-based drink completely adulterated with spices and mixed with overboilded and overcooked milk.

SRI LANKA
A close neighbor of India and known for it's fine Orthodox teas. Ceylon teas are many and their differences are subtle. Dimbulla produces a light and powerfully aromatic with a mellow flavor and lingering aftertaste. Nuwara Eliya produces the champagne of Ceylon tea. This is a light-bodied, lightly astringent pale liquor with a haunting sweetness underlying its woodsy flavor. Uva, a amazing golden red tea. Fine Uva is stronger more flavorful and more full-bodied than Dimbulla, and equally aromatic. Maturata, Uda-Pusselawa, Haputalle and Badulla along with the above districts manufacture Ceylon in the Orthodox tradition.

AFRICA
The mass quantities of black tea produced in East Africa is mainly for British tea bags.

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WATER
Hard, chlorinated water from tap interferes with the taste of tea. Spring water is the best water used to brew tea, ideally with a pH below or near 7.

WATER TEMPERATURE
Just coming to a boil (212 °F) or just off tea boil is ideal for black tea or most Oolongs. The greener Oolongs prefer lower temperatures. Most green tea taste best when steeped in water at 170-185 °F.

Always allow water to cool if it becomes too hot. Reboiling water depletes the oxygen. Using water with the oxygen boiled out of it makes tea taste flat and lifeless. After the fifth boil replace the water with fresh water.

AMOUNT OF TEA
One teaspoon of tea per person and one for the pot. But this is not written in stone. Your personal taste will be the determining factor. Do you prefer a strong cup of tea or weak?

The tricky part is remembering that volume and weight are not identical. A rounded teaspoon of small-leaf tea will weigh more than an identically-piled-up spoon of large-leaf tea. Experience will be your best teacher.

STEEP TIME
Use a timer. Some black teas are completely unforgiving. Large-leaf Nilgiri or Ceylon are the most forgiving of teas and can steep a minute or two longer without much harm. Most other teas lie between these extremes.

Most important is the size of the leaf: the larger the leaf, the longer the steep time; the smaller leaf teas require a shorter steeping time. Experiment.

GENERAL STEEPING GUIDE
Most Orthodox black tea, Earl Grey and Lapsang Souchong: 3 minutes.
Darjeeling: 3-4 minutes.
Broken leaf teas: 4 minutes.
Many small leaf Ceylon: 5 minutes.
Ceylon OP's and Formosa Oolong: 7 minutes.
Most scented teas vary under 3 minutes. The shorter the steeping time the more aroma.

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