Crush, tear, curl (sometimes cut, tear, curl) is a method of processing tea leaves into black tea in which the leaves are passed through a series of cylindrical rollers with hundreds of sharp teeth that crush, tear, and curl the tea into small, hard pellets. This tea has a generic taste and produces dark, strong liquor with a distinct astringent flavor. CTC dust tea is best if you want to add milk or have a masala tea. Consumption of this tea has a lot of health benefits as it enhances mental alertness and energy. Basically, CTC is machine processed and fully oxidized (black) tea. CTC tea tends to be less expensive and lesser quality than Orthodox tea. CTC teas tend to be blends of tea leaves harvested from more than one plantation during the first “flush” (harvest).