Did you know that black tea is the most popular tea globally? Black tea comprises the black tea leaves.
To begin with, there are four types of major teas. White tea, green tea, oolong tea and black tea. All of them are extracted from the same plant species – Camellia sinensis. The difference in the tea is due to the production process. A few of them are oxidized while others are sun-dried. These minor differences lead to big flavour and color differences.
Did you know that China is the birthplace of black tea? Hong cha is the red tea that China actually produces. If you go back in history, in the late mIng dynasty, in `1590, the first black tea came into existence. It was known as Lapsang Souchong. It was made in the area around Wuyi Mountain in the Fujian province.
Until 1590, it was the only tea consumed in China. The green and oolong were the other teas that became popular afterwards.
The story goes as follows. A passing army entered the Fujian province and they took shelter in a nearby tea factory. The tea production was held up in the tea factory. The leaves were left out in the sun. This caused them to oxidize for a long duration. The tea leaves became darker with time. So, in order to accelerate the drying time, the leaves were smoked over the pine wood. The whole process created Lapsang Souchong. This was the foremost black tea. Now, the Australian tea companies sell black tea all over the world.
Black tea is an article of trade today. The compressed black tea was served in the form of de facto currency in Tibet, Siberia and Mongolia.
The Dutch brought tea to Europe in 1610. Then, in 1658, Black tea arrived in England. Then, the popularity rose to England’s American colonies in 1700. The demand for tea rose with England’s sugar imports. It was with the help of the Caribbean community.
Black tea overtook the popularity of green tea in the 1720s. Sugar and tea was then added to the tea. But, this practice wasn’t followed in China.
Black tea is graded on one of 4 scales of quality. Whole-leaf teas are the top-notch quality tea. It’s known as orange pekoe. After this type of tea, the scale degrades. It goes down to broken leaves, dust and fannings. Whole-leaf tea is produced with no alteration to the tea leaves. It results in the finished product. It had a coarser texture.
Black tea is stronger in flavour. It consists of more caffeine than other teas. It has less caffeine than coffee. Black tea is healthy because it consists of powerful antioxidants. The health advantages include anti-cancer benefits, digestive benefits, etc. It also helps in fighting cancer cells. Plus, it reduces blood pressure, lowers blood sugar levels. It boosts your heart health. Moreover, drinking black tea can lead you to weight loss. Isn’t it amazing?
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