Tea

CBIL brokers bulk tea across the black and green trade, connecting gardens, estates and auction brokers with packers, blenders and private-label buyers. The first question on any tea contract is manufacture, not origin: CTC (crush-tear-curl) produces the granular particles that brew fast and strong for teabags and milk tea, while orthodox manufacture rolls the leaf whole for the nuanced, lighter liquors that loose-leaf and speciality buyers want. They are different machinery, different price and different customers. Beyond that, lots are written on leaf grade — the orthodox ladder from SFTGFOP down through OP, BOP and fannings to dust, or the CTC grades BP1, PF1, PD and D1 — plus garden or estate mark, liquor and infusion assessed by a qualified taster, moisture at 6.5% maximum because tea is strongly hygroscopic, and total ash and water-soluble extract to ISO 3720 for black tea. Supply moves in 20–50 kg multiwall paper sacks and tea chests against auction catalogues or direct estate contracts.