Black Tea

Regular price: $9.80
Regular price: ~~$11.80~~
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Black tea is made from leaf that has been fully oxidized, producing a hearty deep rich flavor in amber colored liquor. Black Tea originated in China where it is referred to as “Hong Cha” or Red Tea due to the reddish infusion color typically yielded by this category of oxidized teas. Black teas are produced in many countries and offer a broad spectrum of flavors and characteristics. We recommend our Indian teas if you wish to add milk to your cup.

Region: China

Ingredients: Chinese black tea leaves

Brewing

Generally, 4 grams (0.14 oz) of tea per 200 ml (7.0 imp fl oz; 6.8 US fl oz) of water.^[14] Unlike green teas, which turn bitter when brewed at higher temperatures, black tea should be steeped in water brought up to 90–95 °C. The first brew should be 60 sec., the second brew 40 sec., and the third brew 60 sec. If the tea is of high quality, it may be brewed several times by progressively adding 10 sec. to the brew time following the third infusion (note: when using a larger tea pot the ratio of tea to water will need to be adjusted to achieve similar results).

Standard black tea brewing

Brew temperature 90–95 °C
Standard^{[clarification needed]} 200 ml water
6 g of tea
Brew times^{[clarification needed]}: 60-40-60-70-80-(+10) seconds

A cold vessel lowers the steep temperature; to avoid this, always rinse the vessel with ≥90 °C (≥194 °F) water before brewing.

The more delicate black teas, such as Darjeeling, should be steeped for 3 to 4 minutes. The same holds for broken leaf teas, which have more surface area and need less brewing time than whole leaves. Whole-leaf black teas, and black teas to be served with milk or lemon, should be steeped 4 to 5 minutes.^[15] Longer steeping times makes the tea bitter (at this point, it is referred to as being "stewed" in the UK). When the tea has brewed long enough to suit the drinker's taste, it should be strained before serving.