All tea leaves are green when harvested. High in the Himalayas, tea pickers are hard at work, plucking only young and the most flavorful leaves from the plant, called Camellia sinensis. Although tea plants flourish in tropical climate, the best organic black teas are those grown in high altitudes where the clouds and cool mountain air comfort the tea plant and moisturize its leaves.
After the tea leaves are picked, they are inspected and sorted and withered. All of this is done by hand. As water from the leaves evaporates, the natural process of fermentation begins to take place. Fermentation, also known as oxidation, is the reason why organic black tea is black.
Unlike the fermentation done with wines, tea fermentation does not produce alcohol. Instead, enzymes naturally contained in the leaves are released, oxidizing the leaf in the process and turning it brown just like a tea leaf in the fall when it changes color from green to brown.
By increasing heat and high humidity in a process called firing (the leaves are exposed to high temperature over fire or commercial ovens), the fermentation of organic black tea accelerates. As a result of these conditions, it is only a matter of hours before green tea is turned to what is known as organic black tea.
There are several different types of organic black tea. They are called 'organic' because they were purely grown organically, without the use of chemical fertilizers or commercial pesticides. The types of organic black tea depend on the name of the region where the Camellia sinensis plant is grown. Below are the top three organic black tea, valued for their rich taste and color.
Keemun
Considered by most to be the finest of Chinese black teas, Keemun organic black tea is actually a style of tea rather than the name of a region. Keemun is grown in many regions of China and Taiwan. Because of its smooth taste and aromatic flavor, Keemun organic black tea is often referred to as the "Burgundy" of teas. Chinese Keemuns are especially rich and flavorful. Higher grades of Keemun are also sweet, fruity, and pleasantly full-bodied with a delicate smoky nuance.
Keemun is great by itself. But if you want a slightly different taste, the tea also goes well with a bit of milk and sugar.
Darjeeling
Named for the Darjeeling province in northeast India, this fine drink is another organic black tea worth trying. Often referred to as the "Champagne of teas," Darjeeling is praised for its aroma and delicate flavor. Incidentally, the Darjeeling region also produces excellent green and oolong teas - both known for their delicate tastes. The organic black teas are delicately flavorful but still full-bodied and succulent with a wide range of flavors from floral to nutty and sometimes with subtle muscatel notes.
Lapsang Souchong
Another organic black tea from China and Taiwan, Lapsang Souchong is also a style of tea with an intensely strong smoky flavor that many find, if not particularly delicious, then intriguing. The flavor is produced by drying the leaves over a smoldering pine fire. This organic black tea is made from larger leaves that contain lower amounts of caffeine, making it a popular evening drink.
Lapsang Souchong is not for everyone's palate. If you want to experiment a little with your organic black tea, try some and decide for yourself.
For many decades now, extensive research has been done over tea - whether flavored black tea, oolong, green, or white tea. And those same research studies have confirmed that there are many health benefits associated with drinking green tea and its fermented cousin, flavored black tea. Now, more than ever, people have come to realize that flavored black tea is more than just delicious tea, but something that has the potential to be a dietary regular as well.
Classic and endearing, the great thing about black tea is that it undergoes full oxidation (commonly called "fermentation"), and because of that, they are richer in color, flavor, and are higher in caffeine than any other tea. They are also aromatic and spicy, truly appealing to your taste buds with its distinctive scent and flavor. Because of this, they are considered as the most popular teas out of all Asian tea types.
Black tea comes from the same plant, called Camellia sinensis, as green tea. The only difference between the two is how the leaves of the plant were processed. While black tea is first withered, rolled, fermented, then dried, green tea is merely mildly steamed, which accounts for its delicate taste and its rich antioxidant content.
However, if you want tea that really gives your palate a nudge, flavored black teas are a unique choice. Not only that, but like green and white tea, flavored black tea also contains valuable antioxidants and other beneficial properties.
Similar to wine (which is another product of fermentation), flavored black tea gets better with age. After drying and fermentation, the leaves of black tea are usually packed together into different shapes and sizes. To preserve their flavor, they are placed in a dry and well-ventilated area. Flavored black teas are not particularly choosy when it comes to temperature, so for as long as the storage place has good ventilation, then you shouldn't worry about temperature when storing black tea.
Black tea drank alone can be quite intriguing. Depending on the region where your black tea comes from, the taste could range from very strong to fruity.
Souchong black tea from Wuyi mountain city in Fujian province, China, has a pine-smoking fragrance that is much different than any other black teas of the world. According to different producing area, Souchong black tea can be further classified into three types: Tongmugaun Souchong produced in Tongmugaun county, Lapsang Souchong produced in Chong'An, Jianyang, Guangzhe, and Xingchun Souchong, produced in other areas around Xinchun town of Chong'An county.
Another black tea type is Congou black tea which actually evolved from Souchong black tea. This type of black tea is quite famous and includes the following: Qihong of Anhui (Keemun black), Dianhong of Yunnan, Suhong of Jiangsu, Chuanhong of Sichuan and Huhong of Hunan.
The third type of black tea is called broken black tea or graded black tea. It can be whole leaf black (short strip shape), broken leaf back (with small grain shape), Fannings black (with small slice shape) and dust black (with powdered shape).
Jonas Smith has sinced written about articles on various topics from Food And Drink, Cooking Tips and Food And Drink. To read about and. Jonas Smith's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.