The diagram shows two different processes used to produce black tea. Both methods start with plucking fresh leaves and finish with sorting and packaging, but the middle stages are different.
Overall, both processes begin with plucking and withering the tea leaves. The traditional method relies on gentle rolling and natural oxidation, while the CTC method uses machines to crush, tear, and curl the leaves, which speeds up the process.
In the traditional process, fresh leaves are spread out for withering and then rolled by hand. This breaks the leaves gently and allows oxidation to occur naturally, which develops the colour and flavour. After oxidation, the leaves are dried in heated trays, sorted according to size, and packed for sale.
In the CTC process, after withering, the leaves are processed by a CTC machine, which crushes, tears, and curls them into small particles. This accelerates oxidation. Finally, the tea is dried, sorted, and packaged like in the traditional method.