|
|
| Chai |
|
Black Tea Remains King of the (Tea) Hill!
Eight of every ten cups of tea being enjoyed right at this moment are cups of black tea. Being the world’s most popular tea, black tea has the bold taste to match. With its fully oxidized punch, black tea invigorates with the highest caffeine content of all teas, and a strong, full-bodied flavor that awakens the senses. Black tea is made all over the world too – from China to India and Sri Lanka to Africa.
Here’s how they do it: Once the tea leaves are plucked, they’re dried to evaporate most of the water content. This process takes about a day. Next, the leaves are rolled, and their surfaces cracked, allowing the oils and enzymes to react with the air, or get oxidized. The leaves sit there, roasting, till they turn completely black in color, meaning they’re fully oxidized.
Workers then dry out the leaves some more, getting rid of the last bit of moisture, then sort out the leaves, putting them through a quality control process before they package and ship them to your friendly neighborhood Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®!
Our selection of whole leaf black teas:
English Breakfast tea bag | loose leaf
Decaf English Breakfast
Chai tea bag | loose leaf
LE Mukengeria Kenya Tea
Earl Grey
Raspberry Ceylon
Vanilla Ceylon
Apricot Ceylon
Tropical Passion
Estate Darjeeling
Bogawantalawa Estate Ceylon |
|
Where much of this magic happens is at two of India’s principal tea-growing regions, Assam and Darjeeling, both in northeastern India.
Assam – This is it. This is the beating heart of the world’s black tea trade. Assam is the place where the commercial tea trade in India got started, and it’s now the largest producer of black tea in the world. So, what do these world famous teas taste like, you ask? You’ll find them brimming with malty flavor and bright liquors. Assam black teas are the traditional English Breakfast tea, and, with cream and sugar, you’ll find yourself in a part of India’s exotic history, and in the company of a dazzling tea to wake you up, and keep you on your toes.
Darjeeling –Tucked away in the far northeast corner of India, in the foothills of the Himalayas is the storybook Darjeeling tea estate. Darjeeling first came to prominence in the 1880’s when seeds from China were first introduced here. The tea gardens of Darjeeling range in elevation from 1,500 feet to 6000 feet, producing a heartier tea capable of thriving in colder climates.
A century later, the Darjeeling black tea is the product of a hybrid seed that produces a small leaf and a lower yield, which is what gives the tea its rare clarity and bracing, concentrated flavor. So, visit your neighborhood Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® and treat yourself to what many the world over call the champagne of teas!
|
