Black Tea Buyer Guide — CTC, Orthodox & Gongfu from China

Black tea is the world’s most-consumed tea category and the raw material behind tea bags, milk tea and iced tea. Chinese black tea comes in two families — CTC for machine-filled bags and beverage bases, and orthodox/gongfu for visible-leaf premium programs. Specifications: CTC BP · CTC BOP.

The CTC Grade Alphabet

Grade	Full name	Use
BP	Broken Pekoe	Standard tea bags
BOP	Broken Orange Pekoe	Premium bags, aromatic cup
FBOP	Flowery BOP	High-grade bags with golden tip
OP	Orange Pekoe	Long leaf, loose filter packs
Fannings / Dust	—	Low-cost bags, iced-tea extraction

Read the full comparison in CTC vs Orthodox for tea bags →

Orthodox & Gongfu Black Tea

Gongfu (工夫) black teas are whole-leaf, twist-graded by plucking standard and golden-tip ratio: Keemun (Qimen, wine-like aroma), Dianhong (Yunnan, golden buds, malty), Lapsang Souchong (pine-smoked) and Jin Jun Mei (all-bud premium). Discrimination: tight straight twist, even fermentation (no greenish leaf base), clean bright red liquor that takes milk well.

Quality Parameters to Contract

Moisture ≤ 7.0% · Total ash ≤ 7.0% (GB/T 13738)
Water extract ≥ 36% for CTC (fast full extraction)
Sieve distribution for particle uniformity (bag machines need consistent dosing)
Per-lot COA with EU MRL pesticide-residue scope

Which Grade for Which Program?

Volume retail tea bags → CTC BP
Premium / HoReCa bags → CTC BOP or FBOP
Iced-tea extract & low-cost bags → Fannings
Premium pyramid / visible leaf → orthodox Keemun or Dianhong