Black Tea
WHAT IS BLACK TEA? Black tea is by far the most popular of teas and is consumed daily in most Western and South Asian countries. Black tea is also extremely popular in our neck of the woods, though it isn’t commonly known as “black tea, but rather as “Earl Grey” – black tea infused with bergamot essential oil, or chai tea – black tea blended with a number of different spices (typically cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, star anise, cloves, pepper, coriander, nutmeg, and fennel). There exist a range of other black tea blends including gunfire tea, English breakfast, Irish breakfast, Assam tea, and others. Read more >
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Celebration Herbals Ceylon Black Tea is considered by many tea connoisseur to be the best tea in the world. Originating in Sri Lanka, it has a refreshing, distinctive, medium body and smooth aroma and flavour. With high antioxidant content, Ceylon Black Tea brews to a rich golden colour and can be enjoyed on its own or combined with other herbs and teas. If looking for a milder flavour, simply ...
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English Breakfast Black Tea from Celebration Herbals is a medium bodied black tea that is low in tannins and brews to a rich red colour. A refreshing, smooth classic, English Breakfast Black Tea is truly a flavourful beverage with a rich aroma that makes an excellent addition to any breakfast, or whenever you feel the need for a relaxing cup of tea. Add a drop of milk and sugar to bring out its...
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Four O’Clock Organic Earl Grey Black Tea brings a refined twist to a timeless favourite. Made with organic, Fairtrade Indian black tea and delicately infused with natural bergamot flavour, this floral blend offers a smooth and aromatic cup with medium caffeine content. Enjoy it hot or as a creamy tea latte for a comforting and elegant tea experience. Crafted with all-natural ingredients, it con...
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Four O’Clock Organic English Breakfast Black Tea is a robust and satisfying blend with rich malt notes and a subtle smoky character. Crafted in the traditional style, this invigorating tea is specially designed to pair beautifully with milk and makes an ideal start to the day. With medium caffeine content, it can be enjoyed hot or prepared as a comforting tea latte. Made with all-natural, non-G...
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M21 Luxury Tea Canadian Breakfast Tea is the perfect way to wake up and start your day! With a full bodied flavour, Canadian Breakfast Tea is a delicious mixture of organic black tea and organic green tea in a plant-based pyramid tea bag. Eco friendly the luxury pyramid teabags and the canister are naturally compostable as well as Certified Organic, Certified Vegan, Small Batch Blended and Pack...
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M21 Luxury Tea Golden Maple Cream Tea is a luxury whole leaf robust and smooth black tea with a delicious creamy pancake flavour in a plant-based pyramid tea bag. Eco friendly the luxury pyramid teabags and the canister are naturally compostable as well as Certified Organic, Small Batch Blended and Packed in Canada. [TEA BAGS]
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High in caffeine, Numi brings you a strong Organic Aged Earl Grey Tea with bright and balanced citrus notes. Numi ages their organic Assam with real bergamot–an aromatic Italian orange–for several weeks to make this bright, balanced black tea. Each sip brings a robust flavour with subtle citrus notes. Their Assam black tea comes from Tonganagaon, the largest organic Fair Trade tea estate in Ind...
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Enjoy an organic cup of complex, hearty and balanced tea that’s also high in caffeine. This hearty blend of traditional morning teas offers an energizing start to the day. Bold and robust black teas from Assam, Ceylon, and Darjeeling create a hearty, balanced and complex cup. Numi’s Organic Breakfast Blend Tea is sourced from Fair Trade gardens in India and Sri Lanka, where farmers vote on how ...
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This is an organic rich, spicy and sultry tea from Numi Tea that’s high in caffeine and serves richness after steeping for 4-5 minutes. Numi’s Golden Chai is a traditional Indian treasure. They blend organic hearty Assam black tea with organic cinnamon, cardamom and ginger for a rich and spicy tea. Numi Teas Assam black tea comes from Tonganagaon, the largest organic Fair Trade tea estate in In...
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This style of fermented black tea (heicha) has been indispensable in the diet of the nomadic peoples of Tibet and Mongolia for generations. Two Hills Tea is proud to have introduced the first organic, bio-active fermented tea in North America. It is fermented with naturally occurring Eurotium cristatum, the "golden flora" on the tea leaves. Traditional medicine attributes healthy digestion aid ...
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Uncle Lee's Teas Organic Black Tea (camellia sinensis) is sourced from the high mountains in the Fujian Province of China and is grown without pesticides, with natural fertilizer and with careful attention for the preservation of the ecosystem. As one of the most ancient beverages on Earth, Black Tea contains flavonoids, providing antioxidants properties. Uncle Lee's Teas Organic Black Teas caf...
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Rich Indian Assam Black Tea from Celebration Herbals is a full bodied black tea that brews up a burgundy-red cup with rich aromas and an uncomplicated, malty flavour. Assam Black Tea contains fresh-picked tea leaves that are gently rolled to break them and left to oxidize, or "ferment." Then they are roasted to seal in the flavours, creating its unique malty characteristic. Enjoy it hot with a ...
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Fine Darjeeling Black Tea from Celebration Herbals is a complex, full-bodied tea that brews to a rich, dark colour and has a delightful fruity/grapey taste and aroma reminiscent of muscat grapes. With a smooth start and clean finish, Darjeeling Black Tea is perfect for any time of day, and is best taken without milk or sugar so all its subtle complexness can be appreciated. Sourced from Norther...
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Celebration Herbals Earl Grey Black Tea is a blend of darjeeling black tea that is infused with the natural essential oil of Bergamot Orange, resulting in a mildly tart and refreshing taste. Brewing to a rich red colour, Earl Grey Black Tea has a wonderful citrus perfume and fruity flavour that will allow you to appreciate its smoky undertone. As a medium body tea with low tannins, Earl Grey Bl...
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Celebration Herbals Sweet Black Tea is just as the name implies - sweet without added sugar. Classic, smooth, and refined, Sweet Black Tea has all the characteristics you would expect of a traditional American Sweet Tea. Starting with one of the most popular black teas on the market today - Ceylon black tea with the added naturally sweet South African herb Honeybush and a twist of Lemongrass, S...
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Uncle Lee's Teas Organic Black Tea (camellia sinensis) is sourced from the high mountains in the Fujian Province of China and is grown without pesticides, with natural fertilizer and with careful attention for the preservation of the ecosystem. As one of the most ancient beverages on Earth, Black Tea contains flavonoids, providing antioxidants properties. Uncle Lee's Teas Organic Black Teas caf...
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Sit back and enjoy a cup of green, or black tea. Uncle Lee's Teas is non-fermented and is freshly grown and harvested from a tea plantation in the Fu-Jian province of China where the tender young leaves are at their most flavourful. The leaves are then gently washed, steamed, rolled and dried to retain their delicate flavour and aroma. Breath in the intoxicating aroma and sit back and enjoy a t...
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What Makes a Great Black Tea?
Black tea is by far the most popular of teas and is consumed daily in most Western and South Asian countries. Black tea is also extremely popular in our neck of the woods, though it isn’t commonly known as “black tea, but rather as “Earl Grey” – black tea infused with bergamot essential oil, or chai tea – black tea blended with a number of different spices (typically cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, star anise, cloves, pepper, coriander, nutmeg, and fennel). There exist a range of other black tea blends including gunfire tea, English breakfast, Irish breakfast, Assam tea, and others.
Black tea comes from the young leaves and buds of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. A little-known fact is that black, white, and green tea all come from the very same plant – Camellia sinensis. However, the way the leaves are treated post-harvesting is what determines the tea’s flavour profile. Just as interestingly, while black tea has the highest caffeine count of all the tea varieties – averaging around 42 mg of caffeine per cup (roughly the same as a regular cup of coffee), it is also loaded with antioxidants (polyphenols) that protect our cells and tissues against free radical damage.
Black tea is attributed a grade based on the quality and condition of the tea leaves that have been used to make it. In essence, the size of the tea leaves after harvesting is in large part, what determines its quality. Tea grades vary – the highest being “orange pekoe” and the lowest being “fannings” or “dust”. Indeed, the whole leaves are known to impart more aromatic flavours, while buds and tips provide a stronger aroma, the broken leaves and fannings, on the other hand, impart strength to the brew.
Black Tea - taste, texture, aroma
Black tea consists of the withered, fully oxidized (fermented) green leaves of Camellia sinensis. The oxidation process allows the leaves to develop a richer and more complex flavour. When selecting your black tea remember that many other factors will impart the tea with its own distinct flavour profile, including where it was grown, if it grew near other crops that can affect its flavour, the climate it grew in, if it was fertilized naturally or with chemicals, how long the leaves were allowed to oxidize when processed, what kind of heat treatment the leaves received, etc.
The above being said, black tea is generally stronger, bolder, and richer than green tea, and its flavour profile can range from savoury to sweet, and is also more astringent and bitter than green tea, though when brewed correctly it should be smooth, bold, and flavourful.
Brewing a perfect cup of black tea
When brewing (or liquoring) black tea you should measure out roughly 2 to 3 g (or 1 rounded teaspoon) of tea leaves per 6 ounces of water. Unlike green teas, which turn bitter when brewed at higher temperatures, black tea should be steeped in hot water (190° to 212°F).
Heating the water to this temperature range ensures that you bring out just the right balance of tannins, and the full flavour profile (lower temperatures do not yield as full a flavour, and too high a temperature provides an overly tannic and bitter flavour). The right temperature also results in the highest amounts of antioxidants and the most health benefits.
If your black tea is of high quality, it may be brewed several times by progressively adding 10 sec. to the brew time – i.e. the first brew should be 60 sec., the second brew 40 sec., and the third brew 60 sec.
Active Compounds in Black Tea
- Caffeine – The caffeine content in tea can affect characteristics such as taste, acidity, astringency, and bitterness. The more caffeine a tea has, the more bitter it will be. Caffeine has health benefits and overall supports mood, attention, performance, alertness, processing speed and reaction time.
- Flavonoids – Antioxidant compounds which are largely responsible for tea’s orange-red colour, texture, and mouthfeel sensation, as well as its creaminess. Flavonoids can help with weight loss, and blood sugar balance, as well as promote heart health.
- Gallic acid – One of the main phenolic components of tea. Possesses natural antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. Helps promote healthy digestion, and supports healthy cognition and heart health.
- Phenolic acids – Potent antioxidants which can help reduce inflammation, promote blood sugar balance, as well as support healthy cell function which has been associated with healthy aging.
- Tannins – A group of powerful antioxidant bioflavonoids present in black tea and are responsible for the astringent, slightly bitter and dry flavours that we enjoy in most types of tea. Our bodies can use tannins to make ellagic acid, which supports healthy cell growth.
- Theanine – An amino acid which has been shown to optimize mental alertness by increasing alpha activity in the brain. It can also help relax the body and soothe symptoms of stress and anxiety as it is also used to support neurotransmitter production. Having a slightly savoury flavour, L-Theanine is responsible for the slightly umami flavour we can recognize in black tea.
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