92 out of 100 Exceptional
Another cassava triumph from China, and a litter that matches the very best plant formulas on the list almost figure for figure. Lorde, the Guangzhou brand known at home for its design led range, brings its cassava litter in at No. 9 with ninety two, and it is a near twin of the finest cassava entries above it.
Dust is a flawless five, the root crop pouring clean and quiet, and clumping is a perfect five as well, that characteristic cassava virtue of a hard, fast set that lifts in one dense piece. As with every litter that scores full marks on both, the achievement is real: low dust and a stone hard clump rarely live in the same bag, and cassava is the material that most often delivers them together.
Odour control is excellent at four and a half, clean and reliable with only a sliver between it and perfection, and sustainability sits at the same four and a half, the renewable, biodegradable root flushing in small amounts. Tracking, marked at four, is the one place it gives a little ground, the light grain travelling slightly more than the densest pellets.
The single point of caution is one of provenance rather than performance: Lorde is a genuine and substantial Chinese brand, but its domestic word of mouth has been uneven across its mixed range, and a buyer should confirm they are getting the cassava formula scored here rather than a lesser blend. On the litter itself there is little to argue with. Clean, hard clumping, renewable and quietly excellent, it confirms a theme that runs through this year's list: the Chinese plant litter has arrived, and at the top it is world class.