What is Black Tea?
By Jason Gorka
A Black Tea is when tea leaves have been fermented before they are dried out. This is done to enhance the flavor of the tea. Black tea is referred to black tea due to the fact its leaves are black. In cafes and restaurants a black tea is also referred to as a tea with no sugar or milk added.
There are many types of black tea around today and the only main difference between all the different types of black tea is where the tea leaves are grown, fermented and dried as depending on the conditions where the process happens can vary what the teas characteristics are.
As well as the black tea being named due to the area it was grown like Assam and Yunnan, it is also classified depending on where the tea leaves are taken from on a plant. For example white tea was when the tea leaves were taken from the leaf buds once a year during spring.
Black tea like all other teas still contains the same amount of caffeine in it, so no matter what type of tea you drink it all has the same amount of caffeine in it, which is approximately 25 – 60mg in a cup. However black teas offer antioxidants which are beneficial to your body. The main antioxidant which you will find in black tea is polyphenols aka Tannin which can help prevent cell damage. Black teas don’t contain as many as green tea does however as both types of tea come from the same tea plant they both contain antioxidants which are good for you.