One of the teas that is included in the four group classification of basic teas is black tea. The other three teas are white, green, and oolong. It is considered a true tea, which is not similar to the so-called teas such as herbal, in that the leaves themselves are grown from the camelia sinensis, which is the one true tea tree.
This article elaborates on the kind of areas in which black tea is manufactured and cultivated as well as the various methods in which people typically serve and enjoy black tea.
Cultivating And Growing Black Tea
The regions that commonly manufacture black tea are those that have high altitude areas and some that have a tropical climate, and this may include various areas such as the rainforest region and South America, for example. However traditionally, countries in the Asian region are the prime hosting grounds for cultivating and growing of the tea trees in the production of the teas for consumerism.
While a segment of this market still is controlled by the Asian countries, you will find this tea is now distributed further throughout the world and numerous countries now extensively participate in growing and marketing this tea and products that contain black tea.
Serving and Enjoying Black Tea
There are numerous different ways to serve this type of tea; it can be served hot, which is a very common method in the Asian countries or in restaurants that are influenced by the Asian culture throughout the world. When it is served hot, people might choose to prepare it with milk and/or sugar or other condiments.
Additionally, there are others that prefer honey and some even enjoy spices such as cloves or cinnamon. When served cold or with ice, people typically try out similar additives to their tea. It is the flexibility that makes black tea a number one alternative amongst tea drinkers.
An additional popular black tea based drink is that of chai tea. Even though Chai tea can be made utilizing any of the different variety of teas, the traditional way it is done is to use black tea. Chai tea is flexible in that it can be served either hot or cold, and milk and cream is typically incorporated into it to give it a lighter consistency. In addition, various spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom are utilized to spice it up. Then honey or sometimes sugar which can be either processed or raw, is added to it to sweeten it to the drinkers preference.
Celestial Seasonings Black Tea
Since that is true, does black tea really differ that much from green?
1) Health Benefits:
This of course is the first thing that comes to play. When green tea is brought to mind, it is health aspects that receives the most interest. Over the years, green tea has received much attention on this topic, and a lot of research that has been conducted conclude that green offers many health benefits. But what about black tea? Does it offer any?
In this first match up, green has black beaten, but only by a few subtle numbers. Believe it or not, consumung a cup of black tea can give you exactly what green offers...just not in the same amounts. Simply put, there are double that amount of antioxidants found in a cup of green than a cup of black.
However, unless you drink the recommended 4 to 5 cups a day to achieve the long term benefits, these differences between green and black are small if you only drink an average of just one cup daily.
2) Caffeine:
Black tea has approximately half the amount of caffeine than a regular cup of coffee, and green tea contains half the amount of caffeine than black.
So, there are two ways to declare a winner with this one. For example if you love your caffeine in the morning, than black is the obvious choice. It also goes great with a hearty breakfast.
If you prefer to have a hot beverage in the evening but don't want the effects of the caffeine to keep you up all night, than green (or white tea) is the better choice.
3) Flavor:
Green tea has a misunderstood reputation for tasting like grass or spinach. This only remains true if you steep it using tea bags. The result is always a bitter and fuzzy cup.
With loose greens, you can expect a lighter, mellow, and sweeter taste along with more balanced undertones. While it is true that some varieties may be more "vegetal" than others, overall, the taste of green is rather pleasant. Starting off with mild varieties helps break the palate in for some of the stronger types.
Black tea steeped from tea bags suffers just the same. But when prepared loose leaf style, like green, will produce a more enjoyable cup. Black varieties have a more deeper and richer flavor which can range from being malty, earthy, citrus-like, rocky, smoky, and even chocolaty.
If one were to add sugar, honey, or milk black tea offers even more character.
The winner here is solely determined by the personal preference of each drinker...
4) Varieties:
Finally, we'll look at which offers the most varieties.
And to be honest, this one may never have an answer! World wide, there are thousands of varieties of each type, and that makes it impossible to draw a fair conclusion on which offers more.
It will always be true that both black and green types will offer many varieties to explore keeping any tea lover satisfied. Sure there are many popular types like English Breakfasf, Earl Grey, and Irish Breakfast for black...and "Dragonwell", "Sencha", and Pi Lo Chun" for green.
But like flavor, this topic also depends on what each person prefers.
So, while green tea may have black tea beaten on health benefits, there are many other factors to consider. And there is no "tea rule" that states you can only choose one type! Enjoy all types of tea for whatever situation or event you best see fit!
Both Corbin Newlyn & David Carloni are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Corbin Newlyn has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Accessories, Keyboard Synthesizer and Acne Treatment. Listen to Corbin Newlyn as he shares his insights as an expert author and an avid writer in the field of food and drink. If you would like to learn more go to
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