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Updated: Apr. 25, 2012
Black tea is the most popular and widespread type of tea in the world, and makes up the bulk of the world's tea production and consumption; outside of southeast asia, an overwhelming majority of the tea produced and consumed is black tea. In many cultures, when people say tea, they are referring to black tea.
Black tea is grown in many countries and comes in many styles and grades; it is hard to generalize about the flavor or aroma of black teas. Black tea is the only type of tea that is widely classified into grades of tea using a system of letters, like OP, FTGFOP, BOP, etc. It is a widespread assumption that black teas are stronger, more bitter, and more heavily caffeinated than green teas; this is not true: green teas can be quite bitter, and black teas can be mellow. The strength of tea depends both on how it is brewed and the style and grade of tea used.
Black Tea
Wikipedia: Black_tea | Wikicha: Black_tea_(fully_oxidized) | Teaviews: black-teaUpdated: Apr. 25, 2012
About Black Tea
Black tea is tea that has been fully oxidized (sometimes referred to as being "fermented" although it is not a true fermentation process). Both the leaves and brewed tea tend to have a dark color, although some black teas are golden in color. In Chinese, black tea is called hóngchá(紅茶), meaning red tea, although in English, red tea more often refers to rooibos, an herbal tea that is not made from the tea plant. Black tea typically stays fresh longer than green or white teas (see storing tea). Black tea also tends to contain more tannins, chemicals giving the tea its characteristic dark color.
Black tea is the most popular and widespread type of tea in the world, and makes up the bulk of the world's tea production and consumption; outside of southeast asia, an overwhelming majority of the tea produced and consumed is black tea. In many cultures, when people say tea, they are referring to black tea.
Black tea is grown in many countries and comes in many styles and grades; it is hard to generalize about the flavor or aroma of black teas. Black tea is the only type of tea that is widely classified into grades of tea using a system of letters, like OP, FTGFOP, BOP, etc. It is a widespread assumption that black teas are stronger, more bitter, and more heavily caffeinated than green teas; this is not true: green teas can be quite bitter, and black teas can be mellow. The strength of tea depends both on how it is brewed and the style and grade of tea used.
Caffeine content of black teas, compared to other teas
The caffeine content also varies greatly from one tea to the next and depends on how the tea is brewed--and it is not safe to assume that black tea contains more caffeine than green or other types of tea. In general, black teas with more tips / leaf buds such as golden monkey are the most heavily-caffeinated of black teas, and souchongs, made out of larger leaves, are less caffeinated.Brewing black tea
Brewing tea is a complex art and is also a matter of peronal taste. In general, black teas tend to taste best when brewed with boiling water, although a few of the more delicate black teas sometimes produce better results when brewed with water slightly below the boiling point. The optimal steeping times of black teas vary widely; strong, broken-leaf black teas infuse quickly and often taste best with brief steeping times, of about 1 minute, whereas other teas may taste best if steeped for 5 minutes or longer.Varieties, Kinds, or Types of Black Tea
Best Black Tea
The notion of the "best" Black Tea is subjective, because different people have different tastes. We present the most often-rated and highest-rated teas in this category, and allow you to draw your own conclusions.
Most Often-Rated Teas: PG Tips Pyramid bags
13 13 Ratings  Assam
41 8 Ratings  Lapsang Souchong
36 6 Ratings | Top-Rated Teas: Organic South Indian Select Tea
91 3 Ratings  Assam Gold Rain Black Tea
82 3 Ratings  Kenyan Black Tea
71 3 Ratings  Darjeeling 2nd Flush Muscatel
64 3 Ratings  British Blend - Premium Black Tea
58 3 Ratings |
