About
Orthodox Tea

Orthodox Black Tea is the original and most natural way of manufacturing black tea from the green leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant and dates back almost 5,000 years.

The word “Orthodox” refers to the old school method in which tea leaves are rolled instead of crushed, resulting in highly flavorful, aromatic and healthy teas which are full of antioxidants

Most notably theaflavins

Which directly result in weight loss, fat reduction and immunity building among a host of other health benefits.

EXPLORE CATALOGUE

How It’s Made

Orthodox Black Teas go through four stages of processing which converts the fresh green leaf to finished Orthodox black tea.

Click here to learn more about each of these processes

Plucking

Withering

Rolling

Oxidation

Drying

Grading

CHECK PROCESSES

How It’s Different

Black Tea Vs Green Tea

The defining feature of Black Teas which differentiate them from White, Green and Oolong Teas is that that Black Teas are almost fully oxidized.

All Teas come from the leaves plucked from the same bush – Camellia Sinensis – which is an indigenous plant native to tropical areas in China and India. Black Teas are blackish brown in color because after plucking, the tea leaves are naturally oxidized. Oxidation results in several enzymatic reactions taking place in the leaf including the formation of the potent antioxidant – Theaflavin – which is only found in Black Tea.

Green Teas are green in color because after plucking, high heat is immediately applied to the leaves to stop the process of natural oxidation, which results in the leaves retaining the green color as well as the grassy, vegetal notes typical of Green Teas.

Orthodox Black Tea vs CTC Black Tea

What differentiates Orthodox Black Tea from CTC Black Tea is that Orthodox Black tea is never crushed into pulp it maintains close to its structural integrity throughout the manufacturing process.

The final product resembles dried black and golden leaves which have all their nutrients intact.

Manufacturing Orthodox Black Tea is a labor intensive and expensive process as compared to manufacturing CTC Black Tea but the end product is a smoother, richer brew.

Black Orthodox Tea can be enjoyed without milk & sugar, whereas Black CTC Tea is generally preferred with milk and sugar owing to it’s increased bitterness.

Brewing Method

Orthodox Tea

BREW TIME
3-5 min

Orthodox (also referred to as Whole Leaf) Black Tea is a premium product that can be enjoyed with minimal preparation.

All you need is boiling water and tea leaves.

The method of preparation can be either steeping or boiling – both are perfectly acceptable.

You can steep Whole Leaf Black Tea in 98 degrees Celsius water for 3-5 minutes or just sprinkle some Whole Leaf Black Tea into a pot of boiling water and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the brew takes on a delicious golden-orange hue.

Whether you steep it or boil it, high quality Orthodox Black tea is a forgiving beverage to prepare and generally gives a rich, flavorful, and healthy cup of tea, without any bitterness

Global Popularity

Tea is the most popular beverage in the world after water and this popularity is further rising with more research going into the health benefits of tea.

Orthodox or Whole Leaf Black Tea is the most widely consumed kind of tea in the world and is a way of life for billions due to it’s ease of preparation (does not necessarily need milk or sugar), strong yet smooth taste, balanced caffeine content and myriad health benefits.

Between 2018 and 2020, global tea consumption increased three times as much as global coffee consumption. As of 2021, for every cup of coffee consumed, 2.2 cups of tea are consumed

Health Benefits

Research into the health benefits of Orthodox Black Tea reveals that it is one of the healthiest beverages for daily consumption.

Orthodox Black Tea is oxidized, which means that it has certain compounds which are absent in other types of teas or coffees. Most notably, the antioxidant Theaflavin is unique to Black Teas and is linked to numerous health benefits.

Theaflavins are a group of polyphenols that are linked to: weight loss, fat reduction, glucose lowering capabilities, anti-cancer, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-osteoporotic & anti-dental caries properties.

As more research goes into Theaflavins, it becomes increasingly clear that Theaflavins and by extension, Whole Leaf Black Teas are chock-full of health benefits and are a great addition to daily life.