Whole leaf is the dried herb with the leaves largely intact. Cut-and-sift, often written C/S, is the same herb cut and then screened to a set particle size range. Powder is milled fine and passed through a sieve of a stated mesh.
The form you need depends on how you use the herb. Teas want cut-and-sift, capsules and blends want powder, and retail packs or further processing may want whole leaf.
Whole leaf
Whole leaf keeps its aroma and colour longest, because less surface is exposed to air. It is easier to inspect, since you can see stems, foreign matter and other plants by eye. It is also bulky, so a container holds less weight.
Some buyers purchase whole leaf and cut or mill it themselves. That gives them control over particle size and lets them check identity before processing.
Cut-and-sift
Cut-and-sift material is cut on a cutter and screened so that pieces fall within a range. Herbal tea makers often ask for a tea bag cut, a fine cut that suits filter paper and tea bag machines. Loose leaf teas use larger cuts.
Specify the size range by the screens used, for example the percentage that must pass one screen and be retained on another. Also set a limit for fines and dust, because too much dust clogs tea bag machines and makes a cloudy cup. The right numbers depend on your machine and product, so take them from your own trials.
Powder
Powder is milled and sieved to a stated mesh, for example most passing a given sieve. It suits capsules, tablets, drink mixes and food blends. Fine powder flows and mixes well but is harder to check by eye, so adulteration and plant part substitution are easier to hide.
Powder also loses aroma and colour faster and can pick up moisture. Heat during milling can harm volatile oils. Ask whether the mill is cooled and how the powder is packed.
How to choose and what to write in the spec
Our general guide to mesh sizes for spice powders explains how mesh is described, and botanical identity testing covers how to confirm a powder is what it claims to be.
- State the form and the plant part, for example moringa leaf powder or tulsi leaf cut-and-sift.
- For cut-and-sift, give the size range and maximum fines.
- For powder, give the mesh and the percentage that must pass.
- Set stem content limits for leaf products. Stems are cheaper and dilute the product.
- Ask for identity testing on powders, since they cannot be checked by eye.
- Confirm moisture, microbiology, heavy metals and residues for every form.
Matching the form to the use
- Herbal tea bags: tea bag cut with low fines.
- Loose leaf tea: larger cut-and-sift or whole leaf.
- Capsules and tablets: fine powder with good flow.
- Seasonings and food blends: rubbed leaf or powder, depending on the look you want.
- Retail jars of culinary herbs: whole or rubbed leaf with good colour.
- Extraction: whole or coarse cut material, since the extractor mills it.
Where we come in
We check the cutting, sieving and milling equipment during the factory audit and test samples of the exact form you will receive. Tell us your form and end use in a free sourcing review.