CTC vs Leaf Tea for Milk Chai: Which Should a Café Use?

CTC vs leaf tea: which suits milk chai in a café?

Short answer

For milk chai, most Indian cafés use CTC tea. CTC (crush, tear, curl) tea is processed into small granules that brew dark and strong in a few minutes and hold their taste when boiled with milk. Whole-leaf tea brews lighter and more slowly, and suits black or light tea better than kadak milk chai.

Updated 7 October 2026 · Fresh n Flavour, Ahmedabad

CTC and leaf tea side by side

	CTC (granules)	Leaf tea
Made by	Crushing, tearing and curling the leaf into granules	Rolling the leaf whole or in large pieces
Brew time	A few minutes	Longer
Colour in milk	Dark	Lighter
Taste in milk chai	Strong, brisk	Lighter, more delicate
Suits	Boiled milk chai, cutting chai, masala chai	Black tea, light tea

What “dana” means

Dana is the granule size of CTC tea. Smaller granules brew faster and darker; larger granules brew a little more slowly with a fuller cup. Medium Dana sits in between, which is why many kitchens use it for everyday milk chai.

Choosing for your menu

Boiled milk chai, cutting chai, masala chai: CTC, medium dana.
A stronger, darker cup in less time: a smaller dana, used with care because it can turn bitter if boiled long.
Plain black tea or light tea: leaf tea.

What we sell for kitchens

Strong & Tasteful (Kadak) is an unblended Assam CTC with Medium Dana granules, sold to businesses at ₹250 per 500 g pouch from 10 pouches. See the business price and details.

Questions

What does CTC stand for?

Crush, tear, curl: the process that turns tea leaves into small granules.

Is CTC or leaf tea better for masala chai?

For masala chai boiled with milk, CTC is the usual choice because it brews strong and dark in a few minutes.

What is Medium Dana?

A middle granule size of CTC tea, between small and large granules.