Black tea has been equated with the idea of tea in many parts of the world for a long time, and still consists of the most widely drank tea today, even though other types of tea, such as green or white tea and their amazing health benefits are trying to challenge the position of black tea as the king of teas.
There are many types of black tea, depending on the region where it is cultivated; each geographical region imparting their unique climate and soil properties on the Camellia Sinensis plants that grow there, not to mention that the treatment methods for the leaves after picking vary from region to region as well. As such, while many teas can be referred to as black teas, they are all far from being one and the same. Some of the most renowned teas are the Assam, which grows in the Indian region by the same name, Ceylon tea, which grows in Sri Lanka, or the Darjeeling, which grows at the foothill of the Himalayas.
The oxidation process that the leaves undergo before being dried is what gives the black tea its famous dark color, as well as giving the black tea infusion its dark color. The prolonged oxidation process is also held accountable by some by the extra caffeine content that can be found in black tea as opposed to other types of tea that result from the same plant. Along with other characteristics black tea attains by this complete fermentation (or oxidation) is the persistence of its taste, even for extended periods of time. The fact that the black tea preserved its unmatched flavor over the course of several years turned it into a sort of currency in certain regions over the course of the last century.
Black tea is also at the base of most flavored teas and of many famous tea blends. The English breakfast tea is a combination of Assam and Ceylon black tea. The Earl Grey tea consists of Assam black tea treated with bergamot oil to enhance its flavor. The Russian black tea is also usually a mix of Ceylon teas. One of the most popular black teas, the Chinese Lapsang Souchong is dried over pine fires.
There have been many debates of late regarding the health benefits of black tea as opposed to green tea, especially because one's popularity came face to face with the other's highly advertised benefits. There have been those who have claimed that black tea, with its teeth-staining and high caffeine content was in fact unhealthy, but recent studies show that while it does not hold the same antioxidant properties of green or white tea, black tea also has a host of health benefits, from the prevention of high blood pressure to the stimulation of arterial elasticity. Of course, caution must be paid to the dosage, especially to the caffeine sensitive, but those who were concerned that their beloved black tea was a hazard to their health can rest assured that it's quite the opposite.
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Black tea has been equated with the idea of tea in many parts of the world for a long time, and still consists of the most widely drank tea today, even though other types of tea, such as green or white tea and their amazing health benefits are trying to challenge the position of black tea as the king of teas.
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