Black Tea
Wikipedia: Black_tea | Teaviews: black-teaLast Updated: Mar. 12, 2014
↑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 or greenish 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 also tends to contain more tannins, chemicals giving the tea its characteristic dark color. The tannins are actually a form of antioxidants, and are the chemicals that the catechins of green tea are transformed to when they undergo oxidation.
The most popular type of tea in the world
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.Black teas used in English Breakfast and Irish Breakfast blends are usually deliberately chosen for their moderate-to-high caffeine content.
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. A rare exception to this rule are a few of the lightest black teas, like some Darjeeling first flush, a few of which 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, sometimes only about 1 minute, whereas other teas may taste best if steeped as long as 5-8 minutes.
Storing black tea
Black tea typically stays fresh and retains its flavor longer than green or white teas. A typical black tea, properly stored in a dark, airtight container, can be stored for 2 years or more with little difference in flavor. Some more delicate black teas, however, like Darjeeling first flush, do not always store as well. See our article on storing tea for more info.↑Recent Black Tea Reviews — RSS
Imperial Pure Bud Yunnan Black Tea of Simao from Yunnan Sourcing
Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Simao, Yunnan, ChinaMar. 3rd, 2024
Good Yunnan aroma, nice earthiness/wood. The liquor (5min steep) is a wonderful honey. Taste is a solid Yunnan, with a slight sweetness (peach?) after taste. The leaves are black and tan. I would enjoy this tea anytime during the day.
Read Full ReviewImperial Gold Needle Yunnan Black Tea from Yunnan Sourcing
Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Yunnan, ChinaMar. 2nd, 2024
The aroma is a mild earthiness with a hint of classic Yunnan. The liquor (5min steep) is a nice amber. Mild flavor with no out standing notes. Enjoyable, but it would not be my first choice from this company.
Read Full ReviewWonderful strong aroma, Assam and Ceylon blend offer a pleasant earthy aroma. Nice brisk tea. I buy sachets for when I have breakfast at a restaurant. This is a great tea for the first cup of the morning. I will buy this again.
Read Full ReviewSeason's Pick Assam GFOP Organic from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Assam – Region: Assam, IndiaFeb. 25th, 2024
The aroma is nice, but mild, it has the earthy with hint od spice that is expected from a Assam. The liquor (5min steep) is a pleasant deep brown. The flavor is very mild with no after taste. Certainly, a decent all day sipping tea, with nothing remarkable about the tase.
Read Full ReviewSeason's Pick Golden Monkey ZY104K from Upton Tea Imports
Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Yunnan, ChinaFeb. 24th, 2024
The aroma is earthy with a some notes of honey. The liquor is a deep brown/amber (5min steep). Bold flavor, with a bit of tartness. Slight smoky after taste. Good choice.
Read Full ReviewRead More Reviews of Black Tea (1789) ...
↑Top Reviewers
Rank | User | # | % |
1 | Alex Zorach | 496 | 27 |
2 | JGS1122 | 113 | 6 |
3 | Sylvia | 90 | 5 |
4 | Tchuggin' Okie | 68 | 4 |
5 | Difflugia | 57 | 3 |
Review 58 teas to get on this list!
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↑Most-Rated Black Tea
PG Tips Pyramid bags
Brand: | PG Tips |
Style: | Black Tea |
Region: | Blend |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Teabag |
Irish Breakfast
Brand: | Twinings |
Style: | Irish Breakfast |
Region: | ????? |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Teabag |
English Breakfast
Brand: | Twinings |
Style: | English Breakfast |
Region: | ????? |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Teabag |
Assam
Brand: | Two Leaves and a Bud |
Style: | Assam |
Region: | Assam, India |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Sachet |
↑Top-Rated Black Tea
Honey Black Tea
Brand: | Health & Tea |
Style: | Black Tea |
Region: | Taiwan / Formosa |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Loose |
Hu-Kwa Tea
Brand: | Mark T. Wendell |
Style: | Lapsang Souchong |
Region: | Taiwan / Formosa |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Loose |
Scottish Breakfast
Brand: | Murchie's Tea & Coffee Ltd |
Style: | Scottish Breakfast |
Region: | Blend |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Loose |
Keemun Full Leaf Tea
Brand: | Foojoy |
Style: | Keemun |
Region: | Anhui, China |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Loose |
Assam TGFOP Black Tea
Brand: | Arbor Teas |
Style: | Assam |
Region: | Assam, India |
Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
Leaf: | Loose |