Herbal tea brands source cut-and-sift herbs from India by writing a tight spec, finding processors who cut, sieve and often sterilise in their own plant, approving samples, and testing every lot. The spec covers particle size and fines as well as safety limits.
Common Indian tea herbs include tulsi, moringa leaf, lemongrass, mint, ginger, turmeric, fennel seed and senna for laxative blends.
What cut and sift means
Cut and sift is dried herb cut into small pieces, then sieved to a size range. Tea bag cut, often written TBC, is a common size for bagged tea. Loose leaf blends may use a larger cut. Our guide to leaf, cut-and-sift and powder forms compares them.
Cut size is described by sieve sizes, for example the share passing one mesh and staying on another. There is no single standard TBC size, so put the numbers in your spec.
What a tea brand's spec usually covers
- Botanical name, plant part and origin.
- Particle size range and maximum fines, measured by sieve analysis.
- Stalk content and foreign matter limits.
- Moisture, and sometimes volatile oil for aromatic herbs.
- Colour, aroma and taste, checked against an approved reference sample.
- Microbial limits, with steam sterilisation where required, and no ETO.
- Pesticide residues, heavy metals and, for the EU, pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
- Pack, labelling and shelf life.
Finding the right processor
A good tea herb supplier has cutters, sieves and a clean packing area of their own. Many also run a steam sterilisation unit or use one nearby. Ask to see the sieve set they use, and request sieve analysis on samples.
Ask whether stalks are removed before or after cutting. Stalky cut leaf looks poor in a pyramid bag and brews weaker.
Fines are the most common tea complaint. Too much dust clogs tea bag machines and makes a cloudy cup. Leaves that are too dry shatter during cutting. Ask how the processor controls moisture before cutting.
PAs are a particular risk for leafy tea herbs, because weeds can be cut and blended in. See PA testing and who requires it.
The buying process
- Share your spec and target volume with a shortlist of processors.
- Request approval samples of the exact cut and grade, sterilised if you need it.
- Test samples at an independent lab and run a tea bag or cup trial.
- Approve one sample as the reference and keep part of it sealed.
- Test each lot before shipment against the spec and the reference.
- Inspect packing and supervise loading for the first orders.
How we help
We match tea brands with processors who cut, sieve and sterilise in-house, run sieve analysis and contaminant tests at NABL-accredited labs, and compare each lot with your reference sample before loading. Ask for a free sourcing review.