Black tea is a variety of tea that is more oxidized than the oolong, green, and white varieties. All four varieties are made from leaves of Camellia sinensis. Black tea is generally stronger in flavor and contains more caffeine than the less oxidized teas. Two principal varieties of the species are used, the small-leaved Chinese variety plant ( C. sinensis subsp. sinensis ), also used for green and white teas, and the large-leaved Assamese plant ( C. sinensis subsp. assamica ), which was traditionally only used for black tea, although in recent years some green has been produced.
In Chinese and Chinese influenced languages, black tea is known as "crimson tea" (紅茶, Mandarin Chinese hóngchá ; Japanese kōcha ; 홍차, Korean hongcha ), an accurate description of the colour of the liquid. The term black tea refers to the colour of the oxidized leaves. In Chinese, "black tea" is a commonly used classification for post-fermented teas, such as Pu-erh tea; in the Western world, "red tea" more commonly refers to rooibos, a South African tisane.
While green tea usually loses its flavor within a year, black tea retains its flavour for several years. For this reason, it has long been an article of trade, and compressed bricks of black tea even served as a form of de facto currency in Mongolia, Tibet, and Siberia into the 19th century. The tea originally imported to Europe was either green or semi-oxidized. Only in the 19th century did black tea surpass green in popularity. Although green tea has recently seen a revival due to its purported health benefits, black tea still accounts for over ninety percent of all tea sold in the West.
The expression "black tea" is also used to describe a cup of tea without milk ("served black"), similar to coffee served without milk or cream.
Varieties of black tea
Generally, unblended black teas are named after the region in which they are produced. Often, different regions are known for producing teas with characteristic flavors.
Chinese black teas
- Lapsang Souchong (正山小种 or 烟小种): originally from Mount Wuyi, Fujian Province, China. It is a black tea which is dried over burning pine, thereby developing a strong smoky flavour.
- Keemun (祁門) : from Qimen, Anhui Province, China, a Chinese Famous Tea. The aroma of tea is fruity, with hints of pine, dried plum and floweriness.
- Dian Hong (滇紅): from Yunnan Province, China. Well known for dark malty teas and golden bud teas.
- Ying De Hong (英徳紅): from Guangdong Province, China. The tea has a cocoa-like aroma and a sweet aftertaste, one can find a peppery note.
- Jiu Qu Hong Mei (九曲红梅): "Nine Winding Red Plum" from Hu Fou district, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China. This tea is characterised by tight fishhook-like leaves with a lustrous black color. The infusion is brightly reddish and has a long smooth aftertaste.
- Tibeti (藏茶): originally from Ya'an, Sichuan Province, China. A unique tea that can also be called brick tea; it is well known as "Tibetan tea" for centuries.
Indian and Sri Lankan black teas
- Assam : from the state of Assam, India. Full bodied, strong and distinctively malty tea from the lowlands of Assam.
- Darjeeling : from the state of West Bengal, India. Thin bodied, floral and fruity tea from Darjeeling with defining muscatel tones. Today often processed as a mixture of black, green and oolong elements, though still classed as black.
- Munnar : from the state of Kerala, India.
- Kangra : from the state of Himachal Pradesh, India.
- Nilgiri : from the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Intensely aromatic, strong, and fragrant tea from the Nilgiri Hills of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
- Ceylon : from Sri Lanka. Strong yet light with tones of crisp citrus.
Other black teas
- Kenyan : from Africa, similar to Assam.
- Vietnamese : from Vietnam, similar to some cheaper Yunnan teas, with a pleasant and sweet aroma but a more bodied and darker brew; unlike teas from Nepal or Darjeeling.
- Nepalese : from uplands of Nepal. Somewhat similar to higher grades of Darjeeling.
- Turkish (Çay) : from Rize Province on the eastern Black Sea coast of Turkey, that is crystal clear and mahogany in colour. Prepared in a samovar or a çaydanlık, it can be served strong ("koyu" dark) or weak ("açık" light), in small glasses with cubed sugar.
- Thai tea : from Thailand
- Azerbaijani tea : from Caucasus in Azerbaijan
- Georgian tea : from Caucasus in Georgia
- Krasnodar tea : from Caucasus in Russia
- Java tea : from Indonesia, has a nutty aroma, very different from both Chinese and Indian teas.
- Sumatra tea : from Indonesia, similar to Java tea.
- Cameron tea : from the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia; Bollocks
- Guatemalan tea : from Chirrepec, Coban, Alta Verapaz, a blend of Assam and China Type.
Blends of black tea
Black tea is often blended and mixed with various other plants in order to obtain a beverage.
- Earl Grey : black tea with bergamot oil.
- English Breakfast : described as full-bodied, robust, and/or rich, and blended to go well with milk and sugar.
- English Afternoon tea : is medium bodied, bright and refreshing. Assam and Kenyan (similar to Assam) teas are strong. Ceylon adds a light, brisk quality to the blend. Twinings English Afternoon tea is a blend of Keemun and Ceylon teas. Keemun and Ceylon is not a common blend, but it is offered under specialty blends on occasion.
- Irish Breakfast : it is a blend of several black teas: most often Assam teas and, less often, other types of black tea.
- In the United States, citrus fruits such as orange or lemon, or their respective rinds, are often used to create flavored black teas, sometimes in conjunction with spices (such as cinnamon). These products can be easily confused with citrus-based herbal teas, but the herbal products will generally be labelled as having no caffeine; whereas, the tea-based products do contain caffeine.
- Masala chai : combines black tea, spices, milk, and a sweetener such as sugar or honey; a traditional beverage from India which has been adapted in the West with changes to the method of preparation.
Processing of black tea
See also: Tea processing
- After the harvest, the leaves are first withered by blowing air on them.
- Then black teas are processed in either of two ways, CTC ( Crush, Tear, Curl ) or orthodox. The CTC method is used for lower quality leaves that end up in tea bags and are processed by machines. This method is efficient and effective for producing a better quality product from medium and lower quality leaves. Orthodox processing is done either by machines or by hand. Hand processing is used for high quality teas. While the methods employed in orthodox processing differ by tea type, this style of processing results in the high quality loose tea sought by many connoisseurs.
- Next, the leaves are oxidized under controlled temperature and humidity. (This process is also called "fermentation", which is a misnomer since no actual fermentation takes place.) The level of oxidation determines the quality of the tea. Since oxidation begins at the rolling stage itself, the time between these stages is also a crucial factor in the quality of the tea.
- Then the leaves are dried to arrest the oxidation process.
- Finally, the leaves are sorted into grades according their sizes (whole leaf, brokens, fannings and dust), usually with the use of sieves. The tea could be further sub-graded according to other criteria.
The tea is then ready for packaging.
Tea grading
Main article: Orange pekoeBlack tea is usually graded on one of four scales of quality. Whole leaf teas are highest quality followed by broken leaves, fannings, and dusts. Whole leaf teas are produced with little or no alteration to the tea leaf. This results in a finished product with a coarser texture than that of bagged teas. Whole leaf teas are widely considered the most valuable, especially if they contain leaf tips. Broken leaves are commonly sold as medium grade loose teas. Smaller broken varieties may be included in tea bags. Fannings are usually small particles of tea leftover from the production of larger tea varieties, but are occasionally manufactured specifically for use in bagged teas. Dusts are the finest particles of tea leftover from production of the above varieties, and are often used for tea bags with very fast, very harsh brews. Fannings and dust are useful in bagged teas because the greater surface area of the many particles allows for a fast, complete diffusion of the tea into the water. Fannings and dusts usually have a darker colour, lack of sweetness, and stronger flavor when brewed.
Brewing
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