Bowls of dry black tea leaves around a cup of tea

Representative photo. Your order is made to your specification by a verified seller. Photo: “Darjeeling, India, Darjeeling tea in variety, Black tea” by Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0.

Black tea exporter in Bangladesh

Buy CTC or orthodox black tea through Roptan, your black tea exporter in Bangladesh. Name the style, grade, pack and market: we source from verified sellers, taste the lot against your sample, check moisture and lab results, then ship or deliver it.

Verified sellers
Checked before it ships
Delivered by Roptan

Prefer to deal with suppliers yourself? Post it on the requirement board

Buying black tea in Bangladesh

Black tea is oxidised tea leaf made in one of two ways: CTC (crush, tear, curl), which rolls leaf into small hard pellets for strong, quick brews and tea bags, or orthodox rolled leaf. Bangladesh produced 94.93 million kg in 2025 and exported 1.64 million kg, down from 12.92 million kg exported in 2001, as home demand has grown to take most of the crop.

So a black tea exporter in Bangladesh works with small, specific lots. Roptan sources from verified sellers, fixes the grade as stated in the auction catalogue, has a sample brewed to ISO 3103 and tasted against your reference, checks moisture and lab reports, and sees the tea packed dry before it ships.

Kinds of black tea

CTC tea

Leaf passed through rollers into small, even pellets that brew strong and fast. Choose CTC for milk tea, tea bags and markets that want a strong cup; it is usually the style in demand in the CIS and the Middle East.

Orthodox tea

Rolled leaf that keeps a distinct shape, sold as loose leaf. Choose orthodox for loose-leaf retail; its leaf is also harder to adulterate than CTC pellets, which look nearly identical.

Fannings and dust

The small grades that CTC production yields. Choose them for tea bags and quick-brew packs, where fast infusion matters more than leaf appearance.

Retail packed tea

Tea in packings of up to 3 kg, recorded apart from bulk over 3 kg. About two thirds of Bangladesh's black tea exports in FY2025-26 went this way; choose it for shelf-ready supply.

How to brief a black tea exporter in Bangladesh

Style and grade: CTC or orthodox, and the grade as stated in the auction catalogue, with a sealed reference sample for each grade.
Liquor: Colour, strength and flavour, judged on liquor brewed to ISO 3103 so both sides taste the same cup.
Moisture: Loss in mass at 103 degrees C by ISO 1573, and a sealed, dry pack, since tea takes up moisture in store.
Chemistry: Where your market sets them: water extract by ISO 9768, total and acid-insoluble ash by ISO 1575 and ISO 1577, total polyphenols by ISO 14502-1.
Particle size: For tea bag grades, a particle size classification by ISO 11286, so grades are compared on the same sieve analysis.
Sampling: Samples drawn by ISO 1839, so the cup you taste stands for the whole lot.

Standards and licences for black tea

ISO 3720:2011 and BDS ISO 3720:2017: The international definition of black tea with its basic requirements, adopted in Bangladesh as BDS ISO 3720:2017. Ask for results against it, not only a statement of compliance.
BSTI CM licence: Black tea is on BSTI's mandatory list, so a packer selling it in Bangladesh needs the CM licence, valid three years after a factory inspection and lab tests.
ISO 3103:2019: Fixes how tea liquor is brewed for tasting; the 1980 edition is withdrawn. Name the 2019 edition when sample and bulk are compared.

What moves the price of black tea

Auction: Bangladesh tea is priced at public auction in Chattogram, so each sale moves the leaf cost.
Grade and garden: each lot is priced on its own grade, garden, liquor colour and strength.
Blend consistency: holding one blend steady across sales usually takes more tasting and lot selection.
Pack: packings of up to 3 kg cost more per kilogram than bulk.
Tests: moisture and chemistry results on each lot add to the cost.

Lead times and delivery

No fixed lead time can be given for black tea. Tea already bought and in store ships sooner than tea that must first be bought at auction and blended to your sample. Retail packs under your label wait for artwork and printed film, and a lot that fails tasting against your reference means another selection. Roptan confirms the dates and the minimum order in the quote.

Inside Bangladesh, Roptan delivers black tea to packers, hotels, restaurants, offices and caterers in chests, sacks or cartons marked with the lot. You receive the packing list, the lab reports you ordered and a VAT invoice (Mushak 6.3). Tea takes up moisture and odours, so it travels sealed and dry.

Buying black tea for export

Roptan quotes FOB Chattogram, or CFR or CIF to your port, with samples by air from Dhaka. Black tea ships under HS 0902.30 in packings up to 3 kg or 0902.40 over 3 kg; green tea has its own lines. Documents: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, a REX origin statement for EU GSP where it applies, and the lot's tasting and lab reports.

What we check for this order

Cup against referenceWe have the lot brewed to ISO 3103 and tasted against your sealed reference before it is packed.
Grade and lotWe check the grade and lot against the auction catalogue entry, so the tea shipped is the tea bought.
Moisture and packMoisture tested on the lot, and packs checked sealed and dry before loading.
Licence and labFor tea sold at home, the packer's BSTI CM licence; on every order, the lab report for the lot.

Questions buyers ask

Can I buy Bangladeshi black tea in large volumes?

Export volumes are limited. On Bangladesh Tea Board figures, less than 2 percent of the 2025 crop was exported, as the home market takes most of it. Plan export lots early, expect to approve them lot by lot, and keep a reference sample so later lots can be matched.

Should I choose CTC or orthodox tea?

CTC for strong, quick brews, milk tea and tea bags. Orthodox for loose-leaf retail. Orthodox leaf looks distinct piece by piece, which makes it harder to adulterate; CTC pellets look nearly identical, so a CTC buyer relies on tasting against a sealed reference and on lab tests.

How long does black tea keep?

Several years, if it is kept dry: black tea keeps its flavour far longer than green tea, which usually fades within a year. Damp is the risk to guard against, so ask for a moisture result at packing and a sealed, dry pack for the voyage.

Which grade name should go in the contract?

The grade as stated in the auction catalogue for your lot, together with a sealed reference sample. A grade name alone does not fix the cup. If you need a measured check, ISO 11286 classifies grades by particle size analysis.

How soon will I hear back about spices and tea?

Within 48 hours of a complete requirement, with a price and a delivery date. A requirement is complete when it has the quantity, where it is needed and by when.

Who do I deal with?

With Roptan, when Roptan manages the order: we buy from the verified seller and deliver to you. With the supplier directly, when you post on the requirement board and choose a quote yourself.