Black Tea 101
Black Tea 101
One supposes that when you first are introduced to a cup of tea, as say a child being given a cup to warm up or when out and about with friends in a cafe, the most common type of tea to choose would be black tea. Did you know that in the UK when you ask for a cup of tea at a cafe it is assumed you mean a regular English breakfast blend and you may get a slightly raised eyebrow if you ask for a ‘fancy’ herbal blend as it’s only becoming more common of a request these past few years?
BLACK TEA:
Black tea comes from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis bush. This type of tea blend contains caffeine, antioxidants, and other stimulants. It is best steeped in hot water first, but it can be consumed either hot or cold.
The Camellia sinensis plant produces green leaves, these make up the green tea we have come to know, but when oxidized (as long as the manufacture decides to do so) the leaves turn black creating for us our black tea. The oxidization method reveals the tea leaves into moist oxygen rich air. Green tea comes from the same plant, its leaves are not oxidized whatsoever where-as black tea leaves are fully oxidized. Black tea tends to have a stronger flavor in comparison to other tea types.
Black tea is generally mixed with other teas, flowers, oils, spices or fruit to make up its familiar flavor. Some of the most recognizable black tea blends are English Breakfast Tea, Earl Grey Tea, Irish Breakfast Tea and Chai Tea.
People say that black tea originated when people in China began fermenting tea leaves to try to extend the shelf life of the tea. The process of fermentation made the tea leaves oxidize, with a darker type of the leaf, this is what we have come to now know as ‘black tea’.
Even though black tea originated in China, it was the British that made the warm drink popular. To begin with it was a drink only the wealthy could afford, however once it was cultivated in Europe it became more affordable for the commoner, making it available for the masses.
BLACK TEA BENEFITS:
We have all most likely had a cup of black tea without realizing the benefits it contains. One health benefit of black tea is the antioxidants that it has. There was a study done in Pharmacognosy Reviews, which is a medical journal, stating that phenolic compounds have antioxidants effects making up 30% of the dry weight of green and black tea. This means that the benefits of drinking black tea can be helpful in removing free radicals and decreasing cell damage in your body, which in the end can help decrease the risk of chronic disease.
Drinking black tea can be great for your skin, helping the body to fight skin infections as well as blemishes. and hair. Benefits of it are said to help with aging and reduce puffiness. Black Tea benefits can also include improved attention span, focus and concentration. If you didn’t know, there is a type of amino acid that is named L-theanine, this amino acid is found in black tea and can help make you more alert and increase focus.
BLACK TEA HEALTH BENEFITS:
Drinking black tea has lots of health benefits. Some of these have been mentioned above while others are going to be touched on in this section. One of the Black Tea benefits you might not guess is that by drinking this type of tea, it may reduce plaque build up because it contains polypsnols that stifle cavity-causing bacteria. How cool is that? You can drink a tasty drink and you may be improving your oral health at the same time!!
Black tea benefits also may reduce your chances of diabetes. When you drink black tea its possible that it may contain anti-imflammatory effects related to folks with this situation.
A cup of black tea can help you keep a healthy gut because it stimulates the good type of bacteria that our bodies need and helps keep away the bad type of bacteria. This is because black tea has antimicrobial properties that help to kill bacteria found in the gut and this helps repair the walls in our digestive tract.
Some studies show that black tea health benefits can also improve levels of cholesterol for people who struggle with the risk of heart disease or being overweight.
Heart health may also be improved when drinking black tea, this is because black tea has those antioxidants we spoke about above called flavonoids, helping out with heart health and it may help reduce risk factors for heart disease, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, elevated triglyceride levels and obesity.
TYPES OF BLACK TEA:
Oteas carries a variety of black teas. These come in 8 different loose leaf blends or can be had as a single serve tea bag option, we carry 4 types.
The Oteas Black Tea tea bags we offer are; Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Black Tea & Caramel, Black Tea & Turmeric.
Our Earl Grey Tea is blended to achieve a distinctive flavor with a unique aroma derived from bergamot oil and cornflower oil.
Our English Breakfast Tea is perfectly blended with Assam tea leaves & Kenyan black tea leaves to create our rich, full-bodied blend.
Our Black Tea with Caramel blend is a sweet treat in the afternoon and has a smooth buttery caramel flavor. This blend is a low-calorie treat that any tea lover will enjoy. It's great on its own or with a drop of your preferred milk.
Our Black Tea with Turmeric is jam-packed with nutritional benefits, can help with anti-inflammatory conditions, and may prevent health conditions such as cancer and Alzheimers. It has a subtle tangy taste and is best served by itself, warm.
OTEAS Loose Leaf Black Teas are: Belgian Chocolate Truffle, Black Tea with Mango & Passionfruit, Black Tea with Caramel, Black Tea with Apricot, Deva- Strong and Beautiful, Black Tea & White Chocolate, Organic Earl Grey.
Let’s start with Oteas Belgian Chocolate Truffle Tea. It is made with rich black tea leaves, cacao, and natural flavors to form a seductive chocolate truffle taste.
Our Black Tea with Mango & Passionfruit has a rich black tea taste with a subtle hint of mango and passion fruit. This blend is both tart and sweet!
Our Black Tea with Caramel blend is a sweet treat in the afternoon and has a smooth buttery caramel flavor. This blend is a low-calorie treat that any tea lover will enjoy. It's great on its own or with a drop of your preferred milk.
Our Black Tea & Apricot blend is made with rich black tea leaves and apricot pieces that form a fruity apricot taste. A perfect tea blend to drink or hot or iced!
Our Deva Strong & Beautiful Blend is made to help you feel beautiful, solid, and strong, to know that you have purpose and walk in grace and that even if you come into hardships, you can handle them with strength, courage, and maturity. This blend will hopefully empower you to feel those feels.
Our Black Tea & White Chocolate blend is a delicious blend made with rich black tea leaves and white chocolate flakes. This tea blend is perfect for a treat in the afternoon and could possibly be your next favorite tea blend!
Our loose leaf Earl Grey Tea is blended to achieve a distinctive flavor with a unique aroma derived from bergamot oil and cornflower oil.
CAFFEINATED BLACK TEA:
All of our our black teas contain caffeine about 4/5 mg per cup. Black tea is naturally high in caffeine, that’s why it’s a great alternative to drinking coffee in the mornings to get you up and going in the same way as a cup of coffee would. Enjoy a cup of black tea in the mornings instead of hitting that espresso.
To get an idea for yourself about which black tea is perfect for you we suggest trying our sample pack it contains three of the 4 black tea blends as well as other blends that are a hit with our fans. The sample pack is a great bang for your buck and will allow you to try out the English Breakfast, Earl Grey and Black Tea & Caramel blends.
We also offer three sachet samples and this would also give you an idea of which type of black tea is just right for you, without committing to a whole 15 or 25 count box.
When it comes to black tea, we have a whole bunch of options for you to try and we can’t wait to hear what your favorite blend is!!