- After the harvest, the leaves are first withered by blowing air on them.
- Then Black Teas are processed in either of two ways, CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl) or orthodox. The CTC method is used for lower quality leaves that end up in Black Tea Bags and are processed by machines. This method is efficient and effective for producing a better quality product from medium and lower quality Black Tea Leaves. Orthodox processing is done either by machines or by hand. Hand processing is used for high quality teas. While the methods employed in orthodox processing differ by tea type, this style of processing results in the high quality Loose Leaf Tea sought by many connoisseurs.
- Next, the leaves are oxidized under controlled temperature and humidity. (This process is also called "fermentation", which is a misnomer since no actual fermentation takes place.) The level of oxidation determines the quality of the tea. Since oxidation begins at the rolling stage itself, the time between these stages is also a crucial factor in the quality of the tea.
- Then the leaves are dried to arrest the oxidation process.
- Finally, the Black Tea Leavesare sorted into grades according their sizes (whole leaf, brokens, fannings and dust), usually with the use of sieves. The tea could be further sub-graded according to other criteria.
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