CTC vs Green vs Masala Tea: A Chiya Guide

CTC stands for crush, tear, curl, the machine process that turns whole tea leaves into the small dark granules you see in most Nepali and Indian kitchens.

That processing exposes more surface area, so CTC brews fast, strong, and dark, which is exactly why it holds its own against milk and sugar in a glass of chiya.

This is the everyday tea. If you grew up watching your amaa boil a pot every morning, it was almost certainly CTC, and in our shop that means Tokla Gold Tea (1kg) for the household jar or Tokla Gold Leaf Tea if you just want to try it first.

Both come from the same hills in eastern Nepal that supply most of the tea & coffee shelf here.

Green tea is not a different plant, it is the same camellia sinensis bush, just processed to stop oxidation almost immediately after picking.

That gentler treatment keeps more of the leaf's natural antioxidants and gives you a lighter, grassier cup with noticeably less caffeine than CTC.

Tokla Green Tea comes from the same high-elevation gardens as Tokla's black teas, which is part of why our Himalayan green tea benefits guide gets asked about so often, people are surprised Nepal even makes green tea, but the eastern hill districts have grown it for decades.

Skip the milk here. Steep it plain and let the leaf do the talking.

Here is the mix-up we hear most at the counter: masala tea is not a tea varietal at all, it is a preparation.

Traditional masala chai starts with CTC leaves boiled in water and milk, then spiced with ginger, cardamom, cloves, and sometimes cinnamon or black pepper.

Tokla Masala Tea does the spice-blending for you, CTC leaf and dried spices already combined in the tin, so you just boil it with milk and skip the grating and crushing.

If you want to build masala chai from scratch instead, our masala chai recipe walks through the ratios, and our broader Indian tea in Canada guide covers how Wagh Bakri and Tetley fit alongside Tokla in a Nepali-Indian pantry.

If you only buy one tea, make it a CTC gold. It is the workhorse that covers a milky morning glass, an afternoon reheat, and guests dropping by unannounced.

Add green tea if anyone in the house is cutting back on caffeine or just wants something lighter after a heavy dal bhat dinner.

Add masala tea for the days you want the full spiced experience without measuring out ginger and cardamom yourself, especially during Dashain or Tihar when the kitchen is already busy.

For a broader daily-drinking option beyond the CTC family, Wagh Bakri Tea and Tetley Tea Bags are worth keeping in the cupboard too, especially Tetley if bags are easier for your routine than loose leaf. Our Nepali vs Indian groceries guide gets into how tea habits differ a little between the two pantries even when the shelf looks similar.

CTC chiya: bring water and milk to a boil together, add a heaped teaspoon of leaf per cup, simmer two to three minutes, then strain. Sugar goes in at the end, to taste.

Green tea: use water just off the boil, not boiling, or you scorch the leaf and it turns bitter. Steep two to three minutes, no milk, no sugar if you can help it.

Masala tea: same method as CTC chiya but give it an extra minute or two of simmering so the spices actually infuse into the milk, not just the water.

Tokla's own story is worth a read if you want the origin behind these leaves, our Tokla Himalayan tea from Nepal guide covers the estates and grading.

All of these teas ship from our Vancouver shop to every province and territory, so whether you are in Surrey or Halifax the same tin of Tokla Gold can be on your counter in five to ten business days.

Standard shipping runs five to ten dollars, and it is free once your order hits thirty-five dollars in central Metro Vancouver, where same-day delivery by phone is also an option.

See our full Nepali & Indian grocery delivery across Canada page for zones, timelines, and everything else we ship alongside your tea.